The Final Fantasy
by Beato-69
Summary: A story based on the original Final Fantasy. The OCs here are mine, except for the whole Black Mage, Monk, Warrior, White Mage, Theif, and Red Mage class dynamic. I do not own Final Fantasy and I do not own any other character related (except for my OCs). This story will have swearing, suggestive jokes, gore, and things will get more emotinal in later chapters.
1. Chapter 1

This story will have swearing in later chapters, some sexual suggestiveness, and it will have many, _MANY _references to games and other things I enjoy.

**The Final Fantasy**

My name is Sariaruna Skye or Saria for short. I have a brother named Leonhardt Skye or likewise Leon. We both work at the Cornelia Inn, I'm a waitress and concierge, and Leon is the cook of the inn. He's a pretty good cook too, if I might say so myself. Some months ago we lost our sister, Amilia Skye, who disappeared after a fire mysteriously spread across the town. Ever since then, Leon has been contacting multiple of his friends, via bird-mail, from all across the globe if they have seen her. Unfortunately, they have not...

Saria was a pretty girl and she wore a traditional White Mage robe. She had a curvaceous build, long blonde hair, and hazel eyes topped off with a heart shaped face. Her brother was a handsome youth, with a muscular build and had skill with his blade, with the same hazel eyes and slightly darker hair. A man in red, called them to the King's castle that night. He had long silver hair, fair skin, and a muscular yet toned build, perfect for speed and power. He wore a red hat with a feather on it, a red shirt with golden linings, a red cape, red pants, and golden to brown gloves and boots. The man hid his face behind his hat, cape and shirt, which had a stand up collar. Yes, he was a Red Mage, and he had an ominous yet very powerful aura about him.

They approached the castle, along with the Red Mage who was still covering his face. The guards instantly readied their weapons. They were about to speak, then the Red Mage cut them off. "The King has called for them. I was ordered to take them here." The Red Mage said, and tipped his hat so that they could see his ominous and piercing silver eyes. Then the guards were thrown into a hypnotic state.

"Y-Yes...Please...come in." The guards said and lowered the gates. The halls were lined with lush and soft curtains that covered long glass windows, which had small openings on the top. The floor was made of very smooth shiny stone and had a lush red carpet on it, tracing all the way to the throne room. Overall, it was a very expensive and huge castle. The Red mage put his hand under the White Mage's chin. Leon put his hand on the hilt of his sword.

"Hey, nothing funny. Got it?" He said, glaring at the Red Mage.

"Goodbye for now." He said as he flicked his hand upward, making her necklace, which was a crystal tied to a rope, pop out.

"Hey! That's! Please come with me!" One of the guards said, grabbing the hand of Saria and dragging her and Leon towards the King's throne room.

~~ Four months prior ~~

Darkness filled the chambers, lightened by various torches and glowing stones that lined the giant cave. On a carpet, a female monk could be seen practicing various aerials. She had slightly dark skin, and a muscular yet toned build, perfect for speed and power. She wore a purple vest that showed most of her abs and purple loose pants. She was a female Monk and her name was Ailith Francesca.

On the carpet next to her was a figure that wore a dark blue robe that covered the sides of his face and a brown hat that covered the front of his face, with brown gloves and boots. Overall, you could not see any part of his skin. His eyes were a piercing and glowing yellow that stood out in his attire. He was practicing various spells and using his power to lift knives to attack physically as well. He was a Black Mage and his name was Erick Kaiser.

An old sage came into the section of the cave. He wore a green robe with golden linings, and had a soft gentle face. His hair was white and combed back and his beard was white and covered half of the upper part of his robe. His name was Sarda and he was very connected to the earthen energy. It told him many things and what he was about to tell the monk and Erick now.

He said to the black mage and the monk, "Your mission awaits, and yes, ohohoho! This time it is not just getting fruits for me! This time, you must travel to Cornelia and find the ones who have the same crystals as you!" He said holding out necklaces, which were just crystals tied to a string.

"Those crystals have power Master. I can feel them." Erick said in a deep and a little husky voice.

"Yes, Master Sarda. I can sense them too. Will this be how we find the other crystal-bearers?" The monk said in a melodic voice.

"Indeed it will be Ailith. Now you must venture to Cornelia, there your crystal-bearers await." Sarda said giving them their necklaces.

Darkness filled the room, and this room was adorned with statues and bats. The only light was a crystal orb in the middle, which glowed an ominous light and radiated an ominous energy. Standing in front of the crystal was a muscular knight fully clad in armour with a gigantic sword at his side, which could change form. Behind him were two people. One was a woman in leather armour with curly dark brown hair tied into a ponytail high on the back of her head, with hazel eyes, a slim, muscular, and curvaceous build. She was a Ninja and half of her face was covered by a mask. The other one was the mysterious man from before. They were in the Chaos Shrine, a ruined and old castle in the northeast of Cornelia.

"I trust the preparations are to be taken care of by you two. Do not fail me, or I _will_ hurt them." The knight said, in a demanding, stern voice. Indeed it was a voice fit for a knight that was once of his ranking.

"Yes my Lord. We will take care of everything while you are away." The Ninja said with a smooth and stern voice.

"Hmph. I should see to it that happens, because if not. Then they will die again, and again. Like they always have." The knight said. "Now go, and bring them together."

"Yes my Lord." The Ninja said and took off with amazing speed.

"You, I will trust with leading them into the right path." The knight said. "How funny, you would do such a thing as trust me just for the sake of her life. Hahaha, I find that truly funny."

"Love can make you do things you regret my Lord." The Red Mage said. "She just...means so much to me...I will do anything for her...even take my own life." He said, while biting his lip on the last part.

"Hahaha, like I would know. I am caught in an endless cycle of power and battle. I am a soul destined for nothing more than battle and power." The knight said. "I do not care for such things, and I should not care for such things."

"Oh? Does the Great and Powerful Garland actually want to love?" The Red Mage snickered.

"Hahahaha! Indeed I sound as such, do I not?" Garland laughed. "Although it not is true, I do not care for such things. Now, go and make a deal with the Pirate Bikke. Talk to him about Pravoka, I believe he has some bad memories with that place. He should be located somewhere in a forest drinking house. The old chap's been drinking himself ever since he lost his pride from that town. Offer him a deal to overthrow the town. The 'Warriors' should find news of it soon after my...Hehehe. Go now, Claude." Garland demanded.

"Yes my Lord." Claude said and took off.

_**~ In the castle ~**_

"So you are saying we have to find the other two crystal-bearers?" Saria asked the King, who was sitting on his throne with Queen Jade on his lap.

"That's correct. They will have the same crystals as you do, and frankly may even have it wrapped in the same manner." He explained. "Please...Oh please hurry. My daughter's in danger, she has disappeared and we've had word she was in the Chaos Shrine to the northeast of here. Please hurry and find the other crystal-bearers." The King pleaded.

"Yes Sir. We'll be on our way." Leon said and the both of them got up and exited the castle. While walking out of town, Saria spotted a familiar figure that ran into the woods.

"Sister! Amilia! Wait!" Saria shouted and started running toward the spot where the figure was. Leon ran after Saria, dumbfounded.

"Saria wait! Stop!" Leon said trying to catch up to her.

_**~ Meanwhile on some side of the mountain ~**_

"Hey! That woman had a crystal just like ours brother!" - said, running after a woman who ran further into the woods. Erick barely heard what she said, before she ran off.

"Wait!" Erick angrily shouted at Ailith right before running after her.

He ran after her, and then finally caught her by the arm and violently pulled her back, slapping her in the process. Leon ran until he finally caught up to Saria because she stopped, almost bumping into another girl. He caught her by the arm and pulled her back just in time to stop her from crashing into the other girl. Of course though, she fell to the ground.

"Ah...Wh-huh?" Saria said, noticing the Black Mage in front of her who was yelling and scolding his monk friend. She blushed; he was a cute Black Mage. Unlike most people who could not see the Black Mage's face, White Mages and Black Mages could see each other as if they had X-ray eyes, and therefore she saw the Black Mage's face.

"WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU!?" Erick angrily shouted at his companion. Who was looking away with a regretful look on her face. "Won't you LISTEN TO ME FOR ONCE!? You do NOT do that again okay you hear me? You had me worri-" Erick was cut off when he saw the necklace Leon wore. "That's...are those crystals Mister? I'm sorry if my sister crashed into your girlfriend there." Erick said, a light blush on his face forming when he looked at Saria.

"Huh? Haha, no she's not my girlfriend. This is Saria, and by the look on her face..." Leon's voice trailed off when Saria hit him lightly on the leg. "Hehehe...I was right. Anyway, she's my sister. By the looks of it that monk there is your sister as well?" Leon asked. Erick was surprised, they were not technically related but apparently this knight could tell when a person was adopted into the family.

"Hah. You've got keen eyes Knight. Yes she's my sister, although we're not blood related. I adopted her. What's your name?" Erick asked, impressed.

"Leonhardt Skye or just Leon for short. This is my sister, Sariaruna Skye and similarly, Saria for short." Leon said, holding out his hand.

"Name's Erick Kaiser. This is my reckless sister Ailith Francesca." Erick said shaking Leon's hand and helping a red faced Saria up. The Ninja watched from afar and quietly sneaked back into the castle that was nearby. Just then a scream was heard from the nearby northern area.


	2. The Beginning

Spot the FF2 and FF9 references?

The Beginning

"It came from that way!" Saria and Ailith said, running towards the castle with the two boys close behind. They ran into a castle that was ruined and old. The gates could be opened and looked like they would break if they were opened. The hallway was lined with ominous gargoyle statues. There was a door in front of them and they could hear someone talking from the inside, they quietly walked toward the door, and nodded to each other. Then they busted the door to see a knight clad in armour in front of an ominous purple crystal orb, behind him was an unconscious girl. Leon and Saria gasped, they knew exactly who those two people were. It was the Princess of Cornelia, Princess Sara Mi-era III, who was the third to be born a daughter of the line of kings and queens of Cornelia. Yes, most of the Queens in Cornelia were not blood related to the king. The knight was Garland; the greatest swordsman in Cornelia, he slew thousands of men for the King in the time of the Great War, where all four continents waged war against each other.

"Garland?" Saria said. Garland smiled under his helmet and slowly turned to face them.

"Hahaha. My, my, little lapdogs are we lost?" Garland said in an ominous, smooth and deep yet dark voice. The Ninja and Red Mage watched from afar. "Kill-Face me now! Warriors of Light!" The both of them face palmed. "I, Garland, will knock you all down!" Garland said as he lunged forward. His sword changed into a hammer and he brought it down at a ferocious speed, completely shattering the floor underneath him. The four of them dodged just in time to miss his attack, and then Erick began throwing fireballs at him, while his daggers attacked for extra damage.

"What did we do!? I just said your name!" Saria said, putting a protective shield on herself. Then Erick, Leon, and Ailith. Leon got up close and started swinging his sword at Garland whose sword shielded him from Leon's attacks. – began to run towards Garland and then she kicked him in an uppercut-style kick back flip, then Leon began to attack again. Leon, Erick, and Ailith attacked cooperatively, leaving no space for Garland to attack himself. Then after a good long while Garland's armour began to wear because of the punches and kicks from the monk. The monk then dodged Garland's blade and punched him in the face, he was knocked down, and then Leon stabbed him in the chest.

"Hahahaha...HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Garland's maniacal laugh echoed throughout the ruined castle. Bleeding through his chest, he fell limp and his breathing stopped.

"Leon...Saria..." The Ninja said, looking back. Claude then grabbed her arm. "Amilia, he's watching now." Claude said, nodding his head. The Red Mage and the Ninja then left the castle. They looked back one more time before taking off for their next mission: To guide the warriors down their chosen 'path'.

"Yes, you're right. It has already begun. Let's go." She said, quickly regaining her composure. Then they took off.

_**~ Back at the Chaos Shrine ~**_

"W-whoa...G-Garland!" Princess Sara said upon seeing Garland dead on the floor. "G...You...Those are! The Warriors of Light?! You are the ones the prophecy spoke of! D-did you...thank you...You saved me, thank you. We must get back to my father." She said, getting to her feet. The four of them then escorted her back to the King's castle.

"My daughter!" The King happily got off his chair and hugged Princess Sara. "Oh, I'm so happy you're safe..." He said, hugging her tighter. "Come! We must celebrate the return of my daughter and the death of our highest and best knight!"

"I don't think he understood what he just said..." Saria said and the four of them looked at the king, trying not to laugh. A celebration was held in honour of the four Warriors and the return of Princess Sara. The table was lined with various foods baked to perfection, with aromas that made the stomach hunger and the mouth salivate. Everyone was gathered around the table and not one person inside or outside the castle, did not get food. Indeed, the entirety of Cornelia was happy.

"Oh! Father! Father! Tell the Warriors of their mission! I think they have a right to know what they're in for." Princess Sara said, happily eating her corn and vegetables, sprinkled with sauce that made the mouth water.

"Let me tell you the prophecy of the Warriors of Light!" The King happily shouted, his voice cracking in the process. "When the world is in darkness... the four Warriors of Light shall come..." The room became silent and quiet. "Well, that's about it. Anyway, have fun trying to find out what to do next!" The King laughed. "Oh, guards, tell the other to hurry your construction with the bridge! The Warriors will be leaving soon!"

"Yes, sir!" The guards said and took off.

"Argh dad...Whatever, please Warriors, take this lute as a sign of my gratitude. It plays a lovely tune of light that I'm sure will come in handy later on. Oh, and about the prophecy...um...You can start by restoring the four elemental crystals first, then see where that leads you. Goodbye warriors! And...thank you." Princess Sara said, hugging Leon. The three of them smirked and looked away trying not to laugh at him.

"Smooth move." Saria whispered to Ailith and Erick who both giggled while looking at Leon, who was red as an apple and glaring at them.

_**~ Somewhere at a bar in the forest ~**_

"Can I get you something handsome?" The bartender asked a man in a sleeveless high collar shirt. He had silver hair that was in a ponytail, fair skin, a muscular build and ominous silver eyes. Yes, this was Claude in disguise, but no one there knew him, he was a new face there.

"I'll have what he's having." The man said, gesturing to the older man beside him. This man had an eye-patch, a hat, and a cloak that covered most of his bearded face. Yes, he was a pirate and he seemed to be a pirate of high ranking. The pirate cautiously looked at the one next to him.

"So? What brings someone of your ranks here High Pirate...Bikke...?" The man asked the pirate in a smooth voice. He leaned against his chair and crossed his arms, looking at Bikke with an arrogant face.

"What does it matter to one like you? Wanna stick yer nose where it doesn't belong do ya? Get lost." Bikke hissed at the man, but the man just smiled arrogantly. He unfolded his arms, got some gill from his pocket and put it on the counter. The bartender put his drink on the table and got the gill.

"Hmph, I thought as much. What if I wanted to talk to you about a certain town south of here...maybe next to the shores?" The man said, smiling arrogantly. Bikke almost drew out his Dao, his eyes wide and his hand gripping the hilt tightly. "Now, now, there's no need to get violent. I only want to make a deal..."

_**~ Somewhere on the northwest side of Elfheim ~**_

"My King...there is a beautiful young woman that says she would like a word with you." A dark elf, clad in black armour said, bowing down to a King on the throne.

"Oh? Bring her in. Let's see if we can enslave her then if she really is as beautiful...Hehehe..." Astos said, licking his lips. Then the chambers opened and a woman in a skimpy kimono came in. She had dark brown hair tied into a ponytail high on the back of her head, hazel eyes, and a muscular yet curvaceous figure. Yes, this was Amilia in disguise, but they did not know her, they did not even know her name.

"Astos you're going to do something for me." The woman said, and he cringed. No one should ever call him like that, like he was some commoner. She put her hands behind her back in a petite manner, reaching into a large ribbon that was tied to the back of her kimono. The dark elves started to swarm nearer to her and she smiled, her hazel eyes full of arrogance.

"It would do you well to watch your mouth girl. You are at MY castle, The Western Keep, the house of Dark Elves. Know your place you lowly dog." He said. The dark elves tried to grab her hands but then she took two sharp objects hidden in her ribbon and completely sliced their hands off. The objects opened and retracted in one smooth movement, and left the elves in shock. They were two long fans, with incredibly sharp blades on their edges. Astos noticed the energy that radiated from them it was strong and it was as if the energy was an extension of the fans themselves, giving them a larger range for attacking. The two dark elves bled then fell dead, the woman smiled.

"Get her!" Astos said and the dark elves lunged towards her with their swords and axes at the ready. However, she calmly smiled and readied her fans.

_**~ Back at the bar ~**_

"Now, now! There's no need to be so cruel!" Claude said to the female pirate with blue hair in front of him, who started to whip him repeatedly. He barely flinched every time the whip cut into his skin and just smiled arrogantly at Bikke. The pirate began whipping him more and more.

"I'm asking if you want revenge for what happened to you. I can grant you some power and you can take your title there back." Claude said arrogantly, receiving more whips to the back and front, until his pants were dripping with blood. Yet he barely flinched, and continued to look at Bikke, who was pondering whether to take his deal or not.

"How much power? Are you certain this will work on Pravoka?" Bikke asked, sipping a little bit of beer.

"Pravoka isn't exactly a place like Cornelia, it doesn't have that much defence. It's one of the lesser towns, which is humiliating now that I think of it. Because you actually got kicked out of a lesser town!" Claude teased and was whipped repeatedly until his skin was almost completely scraped off. "Ow." He said plainly and was whipped again.

"Stop Leila. That's enough." He ordered the pirate and she nodded then stepped back. "I'll take yer offer." He said, drinking again. "Release him."

"There's no need." Claude plainly said and jerked his hands forward, breaking the chains that bound him with ease. "Oh, here's your power by the way." He said opening the door and exiting the ship, leaving Bikke wide-eyed. In front of the door were nine very buff pirates, and Bikke could tell that they were as dangerous as they looked. He did have experience with various other pirates, after all.

_**~ Meanwhile in the Western Keep ~**_

She quickly and gracefully evaded their attacks and hit them with deadly counter strikes. Soon all of the elves that attacked her fell dead and Astos and the rest of the dark elves were left wide-eyed and in shock. The dark elves were too afraid to attack her anymore, and Astos was also afraid to order them to attack her, for she wiped out a fourth of their men with such ease.

"Astos you are going to do something for me." She said while calmly walking toward his throne, her weapons placed back into a hidden sheath in her ribbon.

"Why? Why should I do something for the murderer of my people?" Astos asked, readying his sword.

"Because you don't want me to murder the rest of them _and_ you value your life." She said, giving him a potion. "You are to make the Prince of Elfheim take this potion and dream an endless dream. Okay?" She said and Astos cautiously took the potion.

"Is that all you want me to do?" Astos asked. She nodded and left the castle. She then concentrated for a while and when she opened her eyes, she vanished. Within the split of a second, she was back at the Chaos Shrine. The door opened and a bloodied man with only bloodied pants on came in.

"I've already convinced Astos to drug the elfen prince...what was his name again? Kuja? Ah, whatever I forgot." She said in her usual cynical tone, approaching him with her arms crossed. By then he healed his scars until his smooth fair skin was intact again. "So where's our next destination? We need to set up the stage after all." She asked, throwing him his Red Mage armour.

"Our next destination is to watch and secretly guide them. I've already made the deal for Bikke to take down Pravoka, so the news should reach their ears in a few days time. Hell, maybe even sooner." Claude said, putting his shirt on. "Besides...I have to help one of them remember."

_**~ Back at Cornelia ~ **_

"What do you mean I we have to pay? That's not fair, I work here!" Saria yelled at the Inn registration woman.

"Well, look. I'm not the one who makes the rules Saria. However, for those who work here there is a discount." The registration woman said. Saria slowly nodded, her eyes turning softer.

"Fine. But how much of a discount?" Saria asked cautiously.

"It'll only be thirty gill for your party. Would you like to stay the night?" She asked. Saria nodded and threw thirty gill coins at the counter.

"Huh. Nice place, Leon, Saria. I've...never been in a bed this...soft. Or on a bed for that matter..." Erick said, carefully eying the bed. Saria giggled, she could tell he wasn't used to living in a place like this.

"I know...It's...so soft...the closest thing we usually have to soft is grass. It's really nice though!" – said, smiling at Leon, who awkwardly smiled back at her.

Well. That'll be it for today, cause I'm beat! I'm so tired!" Saria said, plopping down on her bed. "I've never had a day like this...well...not ever since..." Her expression turned serious, but then Leon looked at her with a frown, and she shook her head became cheerful again. "Haha. Do you like it Erick? You seem to be having a lot of trouble adjusting!" She teased in her usual happy-go-lucky voice. Leon smiled.

"What? N-No I just...it's so soft...I'm not used to being on something this soft that won't attack you..." He said, awkwardly sitting on the bed. Leon and Saria tried not to laugh. Then Erick suddenly jerked up and looked out the window, eyes wide and threatened. Then Leon and Saria lost it and started laughing, it looked like he was afraid of the bed and got surprised once he touched it. However – noticed that he was alerted.

"What's wrong Erick?" She asked, looking at the direction he was staring into, but seeing nothing but darkness.

"Someone's watching us. They're using a spell that allows you to see others from far away, however how far depends on the skill level of the one who's doing the spell. This...they're seeing us from...I can detect maybe several hundred kilometres away...this is amazing. I can only reach up to five hundred kilometres." Erick said seriously, while – just looked at him dumbfounded.

"You know five hundred kilometres far exceeds most mages standards right?" She asked him. "The normal standard is at least one hundred kilometres."

"I don't care about other mages, I'm only interested in my improvement. Well, anyways, I'm just saying. Whoever's doing this spell is very skilled with magic." Erick stated, plopping down to his bed. "Several hundred...am I getting this right? That's insane you know."

"Yes, I know, and _you're insane_. Five hundred, Erick." She said. "_Five hundred kilometres_."

_**~ Somewhere in the woods of Cornelia ~ **_

Amilia smiled, she could see their happy faces from where they were at. She saw Leon and Saria smiling and laughing. She smiled, that brought happiness to her heart.

"Hmph. That Erick has some skill. He could sense me from here." Amilia said, watching Leon and Saria with soft eyes.

"Indeed. He's always been the strongest magic user in all our lives. Well, aside from me, of course." Claude said, watching them from a distance as well. Unlike Amilia or Erick, he didn't need to put effort anymore into 'basic' spells. Well, what he considered as basic anyway, because most of the spells he knows are beyond a normal magician's lifetime to master. That's how crazy skilled and talented he is at magic. Of course, no human could obtain such skill by normal means...

_**~ The next day ~**_

"The boy said he just came from Pravoka my King." A guard said to the King, bowing down while saying so. "He has urgent news, apparently the pirate Bikke has taken over the town in revenge."

"Hmm...I see, bring this news to the Warriors. They should be at the Inn, hurry." The King demanded and the guard nodded and rushed to the Inn.

A knock was heard from their doorstep. The four warriors looked toward the door, still wrapped in their blankets, and Leon got up and opened it. "Yes? Is there something I can help you with?" He asked.

"Indeed there is. The King has sent me here to bring urgent news. The town of Pravoka has been attacked and overrun by pirates. Since he cannot afford to send any of the troops there, he is entrusting you to take back Pravoka." The guard said with a serious tone. "I would suggest you leave soon. The safety of Pravoka is in your hands." He said and went downstairs, leaving the Inn.

"Well. You heard him. Get up guys, this is news from the King, it's not just some prank. We'll leave at noon." Leon said sternly and the rest of them got up and started packing.

"Will we have to walk there?" Saria asked while eating her lunch.

"Unfortunately yes. Don't worry though, we should be able to reach Pravoka within a few hours time." Leon said and Saria gave him a look that said the world was ending.

"Leon, I've never walked that far! I'm not gonna make it if we have to battle the pirates right after that!" She said.

"Don't worry. If you get tired, you can rest on my back. I've done worse trust me, so it's okay." Ailith said, smiling at Saria and reassuring her.

"You're sure?" Saria asked and Ailith nodded. "Thank you! That way I'll still have energy for the battle!" She said cheerfully. Then they took off for Pravoka. When they reached beyond the bridge, on a nearby mountain side, they looked back. Behind Cornelia, the sun was already setting and the wind blew all sorts of petals and leaves to make the scene.

"This is it...This is the start of our adventure." Leon said, looking at the leaves, flowers, and petals, that were being blown by the wind.

"Yeah. Don't worry, I'm sure we'll be able to handle whatever comes our way." Ailith said reassuringly and gave a gentle smile at Leon, who nodded and turned a little red.

"Let's do our best guys. This is the start of a new journey. A new beginning...A new fantasy..." Saria said, looking at the beautiful scene before them.


	3. The Memory

MLP and YS reference, because I friggin love Ys. Yes, I am a brony and I am proud of it. Got a problem with that? :P

~~~O~~~O~~~O~~~O~~~O~~~O~~~O~~~O~~~O~~~O~~~O~~~O~~~O~~~O~~~O~~~

The Memory

"Alright guys. Let's rest here." Leon said, putting down his pack. Saria got off Ailith's back and put her pack down as well. "Erick and I will handle dinner. Meanwhile, you guys get refreshed." Leon said to the two girls and they nodded. Leon got some dried up leaves and twigs and put them in a small hole Erick dug up that was lined with stones.

"Right. Let's get a fire started Erick." Leon said and with the swift movement of his finger, Erick had a tiny blue flame at the top of his finger. Then he flicked his finger toward the leaves and the flame darted toward them, lighting a very hot blue fire.

"Hah. You gotta teach me that some day!" Leon complimented and Erick laughed sheepishly. "Oh, would you turn down the heat a bit? I won't need that hot of a temperature for what I'm gonna cook. Could you pass me some barbecue sticks?" Leon asked.

"What'll you be cooking?" Erick said, handing him some barbecue sticks.

"My signature Shrimp and Crabstick Siomai, and Lobster Soup! To top that off, for desert we have my signature Apple Cinnamon fruit salad with honey glazed fruits and walnuts! Ahahaha!" Leon laughed maniacally while holding his a barbeque stick in one hand and a soupspoon in the other, and wearing a pink apron that Saria gave him for his birthday once. "A-Ahem. Anyway, would you mind passing me the spices my bag?" Leon asked and Erick laughed.

"Well I'll give you this. They do sound delicious!" Erick laughed while passing him the spice and preparing the lobster cuts for the soup.

_**~ In the pond nearby ~**_

"Ah! How refreshing! Cold water after a day like this, I swear! I've never walked that far in my life!" Saria joked and jumped into the pond with Ailith.

"I wonder what their cooking...It smells delicious." Ailith asked while a sweet scent of apples and honey reaching her nose.

"Ah! That's probably his signature Apple and Cinnamon fruit salad!" Saria said while smiling, as the scent drifted to her nose as well.

"Wow. Your brother must be a really good cook. That smells delicious..." She said while sniffing the air.

"Yeah he is! He's also a really good brother to me. Ever since our parents died in the attack, he's taken care of me ever since." Saria said happily, but her eyes showed sadness.

"I'm sorry to hear about your parents. Our village was attacked and our parents died because of the attack too." Ailith said, playing with the water.

"Really? Who knew...it's almost like...hmm. That's strange, but well anyway. Thanks and I'm sorry for your parents too." Saria said while wondering about something. "When Cornelia was attacked...I remember huge white fireballs that literally came out of nowhere. They just came out of the sky and soon the entirety of Cornelia was in flames. Then this...this woman came and...I can't remember what she looked like but I know she had...snake-like eyes. Anyway, a huge block fell on me and she was going to finish me off, but then our older sister and Leon came to help. Amilia fought her and eventually the woman ran away, but she went after her and...and we haven't seen Amilia ever since. Since that day, Leon's been looking after me like I was the only thing he had left." She said with sad nostalgic eyes.

"Amilia is your older sister I'm guessing?" Ailith asked cautiously. "I'm sorry to hear that."

"Yeah...and I think that woman was the one who attacked Cornelia." Saria replied.

"Well, at least you still have somewhere to come back to. When our village was attacked, there was nothing left. It was this giant dragon...it was huge...it destroyed everything and everyone was killed with its ferocity and winds. Erick and I helped and tried to fight her off, but of course, that didn't turn out so well and we were left as good as dead." Ailith said, still playing with the water. "When Erick and I fought it, we were still very young so you could imagine how futile it was for the both of us...Seeing our comrades and our families, fight and die within one hit...then after the village was destroyed we were left unconscious. That's when we met master Sarda. He said he nursed us and that we were asleep for almost a month. When we came back to the village, a new forest was starting to grow already. No one was left alive except for me and Erick." She stated. "Ever since then, he kept on saying I was the only thing he had left. That he would protect and take care of me with his life...He's such a sweet thing sometimes."

"That's...that's so weird..." Saria said pondering.

"What?" Ailith asked, hurt and confused.

"N-No! Sorry I didn't mean to sound that way! I'm so sorry!" Saria said. "It's just...seeing where we are now...I don't think it was a coincidence that only we were left alive...I mean...what are the chances that only we were left alive when the dragon and that woman could have easily wiped us out? That woman...now that I look at it, with her power, she could have easily destroyed Cornelia...but she didn't...instead she left Leon and I alive...and that dragon! What were the chances that she didn't kill you if one hit could wipe out your comrades and families? Why is it that only you and Erick were left alive?"

"That's not...totally impossible..." Ailith said. "But then what about your sister?" She asked.

"I don't know...Amilia ran...and ever since she hasn't been seen. It's not like she died...They never found her corpse or anything. She's just missing and assumed to be dead." Saria pondered. "What is all this? I feel like there's more to it than meets the eye..." She said.

"I know...I feel the same way..." Ailith said. "Do you think we should tell our brothers?" She asked and Saria pondered for a bit, then eventually nodded. Ailith frowned. "I know that Erick's not gonna like this..." She said, laughing nervously.

"Don't worry. If he does get mad at you, then you can come to me. I'll be your shield and your shoulder to lean on." Saria said smiling at Ailith, who smiled back and hugged her.

"Thanks..." Ailith said. They got out of the pool together and got dressed when Ailith noticed a figure in the trees, watching. "Saria, why don't you go on ahead, I'll finish up over here. Just realized I didn't really wash myself well. I was just playing with the water! Don't worry, I'll make it fast promise!" She said.

"Alright, but I'm not telling them without you! I'll be waiting with them. Oh, and do hurry! It smells like dinner's there already." Saria said while putting on her White Mage robe. Then she left and Ailith waited, while keeping an eye on the man in the trees, for her footsteps to fade.

"A little pervert are we?" She mumbled to herself while walking to the man, who upon closer inspection was wearing all red. He was facing away from her and she could see his long, silver hair.

"Hey! You! What do you think you're doing? Answer me!" She said and threw her fist at him, but then he caught it and pulled her forward while turning. Then, both of her fists were in his tight grip above her head, leaving her pinned. "Agh. Rghh. Let me go!" She said while struggling. Truly, he was very strong, for not even a dragon could pin her down without her being able to throw it off with ease. He then placed a gentle kiss on her lips, but as he did this, she was thrown into a state. She saw the four of them, with two other people laughing and smiling while venturing into a village called Crescent Lake. Then she saw an Airship rise from the desert with them in front holding a stone. Then the six of them in front of a dragon who gave them new abilities and armours. After this vision was a horrible sight where all of them were being massacred by a giant being who radiated a very strong and negative energy. Everything happened so fast that after he pulled away, she was left speechless. He let go of her hands and jumped away, but not before tilting his hat to reveal ominous silver eyes and an arrogant, yet handsome smile that would normally make a girl swoon. Of course, Ailith was just too dumbfounded by what just happened to even take notice of how handsome he was, not that she even cared for such things anyway.

"AILITH! HURRY UP!" Came Erick's voice from afar. She could tell he was angry, the guy had anger issues when it came to his sister. Who, by the way, he was overly protective of.

"I-I'M COMING!" She yelled then got dressed, and hurried to their camp. Erick was next to Saria who smiled at her. Leon was preparing her share of the dish, which looked absolutely delicious. Ailith got hungry and her stomach grumbled just looking at it. She immediately went to their side and sat down next to Leon, so that Saria was also next to her.

"S-Saria...uh. There was a person there, and he...um...he was watching me and...uh...gosh, I can't even say it..." Ailith said as she hid behind Leon who was shocked and readied his sword. Erick's eyes glowed a blood red and his aura became strong, up to the point where even Leon and Saria could feel it.

"Erick calm down. At least he didn't do anything to Ailith." Leon reassured and Ailith bit her lip. Erick calmed down until his aura changed back to normal.

"Ai, did you see his face? Where is this jackass?" Erick said while clenching his fist. "I'm gonna kick that jackass so hard in the balls he won't have any left..." He mumbled to himself in a voice soft enough for no one to hear. As said before, he was very, _VERY,_ protective of his sister.

"Uh, no...N-No. I didn't see his face...I don't even know where he went off too...He just took off when he saw that I saw him." Ailith said, while biting her lip and turning slightly red. No one noticed Saria's eyes glow a slight white as she read Ailith's aura. She saw that Ailith was lying and that she was hiding something more than just someone watching her or even _doing something_ to her. Saria smiled and decided to talk about it later when the two boys were asleep.

"It's gonna be okay Ai. We'll make sure next time that there won't be any guy to watch you. We'll patrol the area next time. Did you know if he was watching Saria too?" Leon asked in a reassuring yet commanding voice. Saria knew he was being stern, and at the same time, trying not to panic everyone. She called that voice the 'Leon Voice' because it always worked when people at the Inn would panic and he would reassure them.

"No. He only came when...when I was alone." Ailith said, turning red. Erick became angry again and grunted.

"Bullshit pervert. I'll show him what happens when you spy on my sister..." Erick said, clenching his fist hard.

"Erick, it's okay. I'm the leader and I'll make sure that doesn't happen again. Pinkie Pie swear." Leon reassured while smiling at Erick, who looked at him and nodded while calming down.

"Fine. Pinkie Pie swear." Erick said. "Cross my heart and hope to fly. Stick a cupcake in my eye." Erick and Leon said in unison while both sticking a honey-glazed walnut in their eyes. "Oh yeah. Who made you leader?" Erick teased.

"I did! Because no one was taking the lead anyway!" Leon laughed and Erick gently punched him in the arm.

"Hahaha! You've got some nerve don't ya?" Erick laughed and Leon sheepishly smiled, while inching away from Erick. "Yeah, that's I thought!"

"You can be scary sometimes Erick." Leon laughed, receiving another gentle punch from Erick.

"How's this for scary?" Erick said, and slapped Leon in the gayest manner he could muster. Leon fell back on purpose and started to fake cry into Saria's arms.

"WEEHHH! He punched-slapped...ah whatever." Leon laughed and then so did Erick.

"Hehehe. They're getting along well aren't they?" Ailith said to Saria who happily nodded and watched Leon and Erick play with their food. They seemed to forget about what just happened with Ailith, but she was grateful that they all were happy again.

"Hey! You guys ever hear about the tales of a fiery red-haired adventurer named Adol Christin?" Erick asked and they shook their heads. "There are many tales actually. Cause that guy's been saving the world since genesis beyond the beginning!" Erick laughed. "Alright so his first adventure began in..."

_**~ In the distance ~ **_

"Smooth move Romeo, just go ahead and kiss the sleeping beauty." Amilia said to Claude who became red and shielded his face with his hat. "While you're at it why don't you fuck her too?" Amilia teased.

"Fuck off. I did what I had to." Claude mumbled to himself and turned away from Amilia, who just looked at him, slowly shaking her head in a very judging and arrogant manner.

"Yeah but you didn't have to kiss her for the memory spell to work." She teased.

"Whatever. I did what I had to." Claude said in a stern voice.

"Whatever you say hot-shot." Amilia teased, while looking at Saria and Leon who were laughing their butts off with Ailith and Erick. She smiled, their smiles were always something precious to Amilia and she missed Leon and Saria very much. Her eyes softened as she saw all of them fall back, laughing until they were crying. Amilia wanted so much to be there with them, she sighed and continued to watch with soft and yet sad eyes.

_**~ Back at the camp ~ **_

"This red-haired adventurer travelled the globe with his blue-haired pal. They did everything together!" Erick said. "They were an inseparable duo who faced many challenges! At least that's what the legends say."

"Yeah. I bet they did _everything_ together! Bwahahaha!" Saria burst out laughing like crazy. "Oh man. I've heard about this red-haired adventurer, but I had no idea!" She laughed.

The night was soon dark and they cleaned up and went to sleep. All except for Saria, who had plans to talk to Ailith about what really happened in the bath. She scooted next to Ailith who was sleeping with a peaceful look on her face, and she gently shook Ailith awake.

"Hm? Oh Saria. Is there something I can do for you?" Ailith said while yawning and facing towards Saria.

"Yeah. Back at the dinner, you were lying weren't you? About that man not actually doing anything?" Saria whispered to Ailith's ear.

"Well...wow you and Leon have got some keen eyes. It must be a blood related thing. Anyway, yeah, I did lie a bit. The man was wearing an all red uniform. Well, at least it looked like a uniform anyway. And he had silver hair and...these very ominous silver eyes. They almost looked dead." Ailith said, turning slightly red. Saria nudged her to keep on speaking. "He...he kind of pinned me down and...gosh. He was really strong. Nothing could hold me down like that. I mean, not to brag or anything but, I can throw a Dragon or Manticore who pins me down with ease. Master would use to train me with beasts he summoned, but anyway, I couldn't even move. Then he kissed me..." Ailith said and she hid behind her pillow. She didn't want Saria to see her very red face. "But when he did...I saw...All of us, going to some place called the Crescent Lake. Then a flying ship and then...us being massacred...it all happened so fast. I-I don't even know what happened."

"He used a memory spell on you? How can that be...it...I don't remember going to a place called Crescent Lake..." Saria pondered. "He used a memory spell on you Ailith. That...that was a memory..."

"That's not possible. I don't remember anything like that. I don't know any town called Crescent Lake or I don't even know what that flying ship was or what we were doing there...That's not possible...That can't be a memory...at least not from me..." Ailith said, now confused.

"You said you saw all of us right? Then it's possible that if he used the same memory spell, we would have seen the same things. If that's even a positive memory spell. Because there are two types, one that creates false memories and one that lets you remember. So it's possible that he's trying to get a false memory into you." Saria explained and then a look of confusion spread across her face. "But...you don't need to kiss someone in order to do the memory spell...Ailith...what did you say he looked like again?" Saria asked.

"He was a man wearing all red." Ailith explained.

"With silver hair?" Saria asked and Ailith nodded. "We met a guy like him too, when we were called to the King's castle and...come to think of it. He showed the guards that we had the crystals...and that led us to the King and then..." Saria pondered.

"The King asked for you to find us. The other crystal bearers." Ailith finished and Saria nodded. "Are you saying he's trying to guide us or something? Then...what about those memories?" Ailith asked.

"I have no idea, but the man in red. He led us to the King's castle and he showed the guards we had the crystals...us...us of all people. It could be possible that he's leading us somewhere." Saria said, still confused. "What's going on? Who led you to us anyway?"

"A woman with hazel eyes...now that I think of it, they were a lot like yours." Ailith said.

"Did she have dark brown and curly hair?" Saria asked, wide-eyed and Ailith nodded. "Oh my gosh...that was my sister...That was Amilia, but I saw her too! That's why I was chasing someone in the forest...What is all this? First that man led us to the King's castle and showed the guards our crystals and...then Amilia brings us together?" Saria asked, now more confused than ever. "What's going on...?"

"Saria, there's no use pondering now. We have to get some sleep, the moon's high in the sky already which means it's probably late...but...please. Don't tell our brother's just yet. We have to get to the bottom of this." Ailith said.

"I have a strange feeling that if we just keep walking down the path we are in...things will just clear up...but I also have this feeling...That this path is very dark..." Saria said as they both looked up at the night sky.

"I can't help but get the same feeling...but something tells me things will be alright." Ailith said, now worried. "Good night Saria." She said.

"Good night Ailith. Sleep well and..." Saria said. "May the light shine upon the four of us..." The both of them said in unison as they went back to their sleeping bags. They all slept peacefully that night.


	4. The Man in Red

I altered Bikke's dialogue here. It's just...cannon balls of steel really? Anyway, enjoy!

~~~O~~~O~~~O~~~O~~~O~~~O~~~O~~~O~~~O~~~O~~~O~~~O~~~O~~~O~~~O~~~

Saria woke up to the gentle nudging of Leon and Ailith woke up to Erick kicking her gently awake. Leon smiled at Saria and helped her up.

"Yo. Wake up." Erick said in a stern voice. Ailith nodded and got up in a sluggish manner while yawning.

"Why can't you be more like him?" Ailith teased. Erick laughed and held out his hand, helping Ailith up.

"You really like him don't you?" Erick said, teasing Ailith. "Never thought you'd be one to like guys like him."

"Huh? What, no!" Ailith said, her face turning red. Erick laughed and patted her on the back.

"It's alright! Your secret's safe with me! Besides, Leon told me something while you two were taking a bath. He told me somethinggg!" Erick playfully said while glancing at Leon who was glaring at him. "Hahahaha! Okay, okay fine!" Erick laughed. They all ate a hearty breakfast and moved along, continuing their travels to Pravoka. Within a two hours time they were there and the village was full of pirates that kept the villagers in their homes. They went into the Inn and stayed there for their lunchtime.

"Wow, I had no idea it was this bad..." Saria said, looking around at the miserable people. Even the waitress and bartender were sad.

"Try to keep your voices down. We don't want the pirates to know about us." Leon whispered while eating his sausage and eggs. The three of them nodded and quietly ate their meals.

~**O**~**O**~

After they rested for a good two or so hours, they questioned the villagers and found out where Bikke was.

"Thanks Hope. You were a big help. Don't worry, we'll free everyone here." Leon reassured the little boy with silver hair and his mother, who also had silver hair. They left to the very far end of the town, where they could see Bikke and other pirates conversing about something.

"Hah. We might as well burn this town. Then people here would know better than to shame me!" Bikke said while drinking. "Hmm? What's this?" He said as he noticed the four approaching.

"Let this town go Bikke." Leon demanded.

"Hmph. You have nerve to be talking like that to a man of my standing, you lowly dogs. State your name and maybe I'll have you a fast death." Bikke hissed as he glared at them. However, Leon stood in front, unaffected and unmoved by both Bikke and his pirates. "Hmph. Lowly dogs can't even get an order right. Take them out boys." Bikke demanded and the pirates began to surround them.

"Guys!" Leon demanded and they all got out their weapons. Saria got her hammer out and Erick got his knives out. The pirates lunged forward. Leon blocked a pirate's attack with his shield, while kicking another in the face and slashing yet another with his sword. Saria put a defensive barrier up on all of them while dodging the pirates who were attacking her and countering with swings from her hammer. Erick was having an easy time attacking multiple pirates with his knives and his magic. While Ailith was having the time of her life, dodging and countering the pirates attacks.

"Too slow!" Ailith taunted as the pirate missed her and she placed a good kick in his face, sending him flying. Another tried to swing his sword at her but she only grabbed his hand and threw him, sending him crashing towards the other pirates. They all stopped for a while to just watch her fight and easily throw around the men who were much bigger than she was. Leon, Saria, and Bikke watched in amazement as she had the time of her life knocking all the pirates out. Erick was not so surprised however, as he saw her do the same things to the poor summons of Master Sarda, so he just sat back and watched.

"You can do better than that!" She said pulling another pirate closer to her with her left arm and sending him flying the opposite direction with her right. Soon enough all the pirates were knocked unconscious. "Aww. That's it? Well, hope I didn't do too much damage." She said, looking at one who was knocked out cold. Just then, Leon turned toward the Bikke and smiled a polite smile.

"Heh. Well?" Leon said.

"You! DAMMIT! Fine, I'll leave again!" Bikke said as he fell toward the floor, tears flowing down his cheeks. The villagers cheered and one of them came up to Bikke and leaned down until they were face to face.

"You don't need to leave Bikke, this place isn't the same anymore. You can build anew here! Leave behind your pirate legacy and start anew! Here in Pravoka!" The man said, offering his hand to Bikke. "You don't need to live with a title that was destroyed a long time ago. Leave it behind, we could use someone like you and your men here."

"...I...Fine...I was starting to get old anyway." Bikke said, grabbing the man's hand and getting up. "I'm sorry for the trouble I've caused. I promise I'll make it up to you all." He said. "Travellers...have my ship...It's...I won't need it anymore. Just take it, here's the key to all of the rooms. Just...wait for them to wake up and unpack their things." Bikke said gesturing to the unconscious pirates. They all looked at Ailith who gave a sheepish smile.

_**~ On top of a distant house ~**_

"Hmph. That's a noble end. Didn't actually think you'd do that." Amilia said, watching from the top of a house in the distance.

"Yeah but...that Pirate Lord needs to let go of his already shattered reputation. It's no use holding on to a reputation you can't get back." Claude said, also watching.

_**~ Meanwhile at the Pravokan Inn ~**_

"What...who convinced you that? Who told you about my legacy?" Bikke asked the man, who treated all of them to some drinks.

"A man in red. He didn't say his name, but he told us your story." The man explained and the five of them listened. Ailith was shocked and Saria smiled gently at her, while putting her hand on top of Ailith's reassuringly. "He told us about your legacy as a Pirate Lord and how your defeat by our hands, well, more of Garland's really, ended it forever. So this time, we'll offer you this, to make up for all the shame we put you through." The man explained, Bikke was astonished.

"Can you explain this man? How did he look like?" Bikke asked.

"Did he...by any chance, have silver eyes and hair and...maybe fair skin?" Ailith asked, while trying not to turn red, but failing miserably.

"Yes, do you know him?" The man asked. The two boys turned toward Ailith who hid behind Saria. The both of them looked suspiciously at her, Erick especially.

"No. No she doesn't. She just saw him in the distance when we entered Pravoka." Saria explained holding Ailith's hand.

"By my beard! That...that bastard..." Bikke laughed happily. "Travellers, thank you. I couldn't have started anew without you defeating me. Thank you." He said and they nodded. Bikke held out his hand and Leon shook it firmly.

_**~ Somewhere in the distance ~**_

"It'll be time soon. I'm sorry it can't be you." Claude said to Amilia, who was gazing at her siblings happy faces. "Are you listening to me?"

"What?" She said, her expression suddenly changing to a glare when she took her eyes off Leon and Saria. Claude just silently laughed to himself.

"I said, I'm sorry you have to be the one who has to hide." Claude said facing away from her.

"I...Well, thanks but as long as they can be safe. I'll do anything, even stay away from them for the rest of my life if I have to...Yes, that does bother me but Saria and Leon do know who I am. It's crucial they find out at the right time. So I'll be okay. Thanks for your concern." Amilia said, her voice changing into a softer one. Claude looked at her as she watched Leon and Saria, her expression changing to one of longing and her eyes becoming softer.

_**~ Back at Pravoka ~**_

"Yeah...There she is. She should be able to take you anywhere, you fancy." Bikke said as they went to the docks and they saw a huge ship, with sails that had the mark of a dragon between crossed swords and golden linings. "You'll be with them now honey. I'm sure they'll take good care of you, don't worry...I...I'll be happy here." Bikke said as he patted the ship, the four of them looked at him. "Heh, sorry. Old habits as a pirate ya know? She...She was kind of a big part in my legacy as a Pirate Lord...won me many victories she did...You'll take good care of her won't ya?" He asked as he handed them the key to the front door and gate of the ship.

"Don't worry. We'll make sure nothing happens to her." Leon said reassuringly.

"Hahaha. It's funny if you think about it. Cause if we do let something happen to the ship, then we'll be stranded in the ocean." Erick laughed to himself. The last of the pirates took their baggage off and cleaned the inside of the ship. Then they escorted the Warriors to the ship and put the luggage in. The pirates left the ship and the Warriors waved goodbye.

"Take good care of her lads." Bikke said as he looked back one more time, before seeing the ship sail away. "Good night...My beloved legacy." He said, as he turned away and walked towards Pravoka.

"Boss...How are they supposed to sail her with only four people in?" One of the pirates said and then there was a silence.

"BWAHAHAHAHA!" Bikke and the other pirates burst out laughing.

_****~ At the Ship ~**_

"Wow, this really is a big ship. Oh. By the way, do you guys have any clue on where we're supposed to go next?" Saria asked. Then all of their eyes widened and they were left with mouths agape.

"No. No we don't...NO WE DON'T!" Leon finally lost his composure as a calm, and stern leader and tried to jump off the ship. Erick burst out laughing and only levitated him above the water.

"And so ends the tale of the four Warriors!" Ailith and Saria laughed as Erick put Leon back to the ship.

"Oh. Blargh!" Leon said as a piece of paper flew into his mouth. "There is a sleeping prince at Elfheim which is just south of Cornelia. Please kiss him and wake the sleeping beauty up." Leon's eyes widened. "Saria. Come look at this." Leon said and they all drew closer to him. Upon seeing the paper, Saria's eyes widened and her mouth was left agape.

"Oh my gosh...that's Amilia's writing..." Saria said and Ailith looked at her, shocked.

"Saria...She's alive." Ailith said with a happy face and then she hugged Saria. Saria pulled her into a tight hug and Leon and Erick were left wondering what the fudge was going on. More so Erick than Leon because Erick didn't know who Amilia was, but Leon was also confused because Ailith knew who their sister was.

"Wait who's Amilia?" Erick asked.

"How does she know about Amilia?" Leon asked.

"WHO THE HELL IS AMILIA!?" Erick yelled, and they laughed.

"Come, I'll tell you the story." Saria said, and they went into the ship. Leon prepared some snacks for them to eat while Saria told them.

_**~ Someplace above them ~**_

"Looks like they found your paper." Claude asked, holding the reins of the dragon that he summoned and that they were currently riding on.

"This so beats an airship Romeo." Amilia said, enjoying the strong wind that was blowing in her face and the clouds that were brushing on her skin.

"Stop calling me that." Claude said, irritated. "Thanks, but summoning magic isn't such a big deal. This is just a common friend of mine anyway. It's not like I summoned the King of Dragons Bahamut." He said.

"Maybe for you it's not. Most mages can't even summon living creatures yet, cause they haven't discovered it yet. Hahaha. It's amazing what you can learn in the Labyrinth." Amilia said, while lying down. She watched the sky fly by before her and smiled.

"Alright, I'll be going now. You take the reins." He said, handing her the reins. "Whenever you ride a dragon always stay right here, or at their back." Claude said, pointing to the point right between the neck and the back.

"Never stay here." He said, pointing just below it. "Got it?" He asked and she nodded.

"I'll be fine Romeo. Just worry about yourself." She said taking the reins. He rolled his eyes and then jumped off. Then after a good two or so, minutes of falling, his eyes glowed a faint blue. He clicked his fingers and his body surged a faint blue light. Then he landed gracefully and without a sound in a kneeling position, with one hand in front of him for balance. Then he waited for a bit, but not before soaking himself with water.

_**~ Back at the ship ~**_

"Huh. Didn't know we all had so much in common." Leon said, putting butter and honey over his freshly baked bread.

"Yeah." Erick said, eating his bread stuffed with strawberry jam. "It's...kind of hard to believe, given the position we're in now." He stated.

"You noticed." Saria said, drinking her tea with a pleased face. "Everyone. What are the chances that we were left alive on that day? What are the chances, given where we are now?"

"You have a point...but...Then what does this mean? Where are we supposed to go now? What about the crystals?" Leon said.

"I know your confusion Leon, but I think that things will unravel whatever we do. We can't let the earth rot, it's our mission as Warriors...Hah, our destiny, if you may. However, because of that, we have to restore the crystals...and that...I think will unravel a lot of things as we go on our journey." Saria said.

Outside Claude waited with his arms crossed, then, he snapped his fingers and a loud bang came from them. Then he lied down and started to rub his behind. They all jumped when they heard a loud thud on the deck of the ship and they all went out and into the deck.

"What the hell?" Erick exclaimed as they ran up and saw a man in red, rubbing his behind. "Sorry let me change that. What the fuck?" He said.

"OH OW! IT HURTS!" Claude said in a melodramatic and very fake way. From above Amilia frowned at him, she wanted to slap him for trying to be so obvious. Ailith's eyes widened when she saw him and she turned all red, Saria looked at her and held her hand reassuringly.

"Oh kind strangers please help me! It hurts!" Claude said, with a pleading look in his silver eyes. Amilia frowned and threw the finger at him. He glanced at Ailith who then looked away.

"Explain yourself. Why are you here? How did you get here? You're the one who led us to the King's castle, so what business do you have being out at sea?" Leon demanded. "Answer me stranger."

"I was exploring an underwater shrine. However, I was defeated by the monsters there. I was knocked unconscious and before I knew it, I was drifting on the water, and saw your boat. So I...I climbed up and got on it, but. I'm still weak from the battle of the monsters..." Claude said now in a convincing tone. Amilia sighed, finally he was actually being discreet. "I'm terribly sorry for...for entering your ship without permission. I am a wanderer you see, so any dungeon unknown I will be there." Claude said, and Leon helped him up. "Oh, you were the ones the King talked about...the legends...The Warriors of Light! Please, oh please. May I come with you on your journey? I won't be a burden I promise!" Claude happily said, holding Leon's hand. Leon didn't see his eyes glow a faint light and before they knew it, they all thought it was a good idea. Well, except for Ailith.

"I...I don't see why not. Fine sure, we could use someone like you." Leon and Erick agreed. Saria reassured Ailith and she kept quiet.

"Welcome aboard...?" Leon said, gesturing for him to give his name.

"My name is Claude Rilliane K." He said while smiling a polite and handsome smile.

"Alright, even though you're not a crystal-bearer, you can still be part of our party. Nice to meet you Claude." Leon said as he, Erick, and Claude shook hands. They went inside and showed him a room where he could stay. They all ate a hearty meal and soon enough, they could see the shores of Elfheim.

* * *

_**** **_Yes, that happened to me during the first playthrough. I was like, what the hell am I supposed to do now? Then I stumbled upon Crescent Lake, and that...was absolute hell. Because my party was only like...level 15 or 14, well, some level bellow 20 and I went to Crescent Lake...CRESCENT LAKE. Argh, that was rage.

Claude's name is pronounced Rili-an, by the way.


	5. Getting Things Done

I'm sorry if this is a boring chapter but really, there's nothing more I could write about during these events in the game. I'll just put them into one chapter so that we can move on to the good stuff next chapter alright?

_**~~~~~O~~~~~O~~~~~O~~~~~O~~~~~O~~~~~**_

"Welcome to Elfheim!" A young and pretty elf welcomed them to the village and showed them around. Then they were escorted to the Prince of Elves, who was sound asleep in his bed. Then the cleric came in and filled them on the details.

"If...If you can get a potion for him to wake up. You can get this from Matoya, a witch skilled in making all types of potions and brews. She lives in a cave northeast from Cornelia. Please Warriors, please wake our prince up!" The cleric begged. "Oh, but...Uh, to save you the trouble...I...I think I remember hearing from someone that the eye was with Astos..." The cleric said, unsure.

"We will do what we can. Don't worry, we'll make sure prince charming here does wake up." Leon said as he removed the blanket over the prince's face. Everyone was shocked to see a very handsome blonde elf that was sleeping in the bed.

"WELL! Prince charming indeed!" Erick laughed to himself and then everyone followed.

"Alright, let's have lunch and leave first thing in the afternoon. So get ready everyone...Shit...I don't know how to steer the boat...How are we supposed to get back to Cornelia now? It was merely luck we even got here!" Leon panicked.

"Let's think about that when we get there Leo." Erick said patting his back.

"You're really a flow kind of guy aren't you?" Leon asked then Erick shrugged as they headed out of Elfheim. After a good two hours or so, they finally made it to the castle, which was ruined, old, and breaking. There, they saw an old king sitting in his throne in the farthest end of the hallway. His face was full of wrinkles and he adorned a red garb with gold fur as its linings. Claude instantly saw it was Astos in disguise but didn't say anything.

"Hmmmm?...It's been a while since I've seen people here...Moreover youths like you. Say...It appears I have lost my crown...and I...I'm too old to get it back...please...for an old man like me...can you get it back?" The King said in the slowest and lowest voice ever. Leon looked at the King, whose eyes were only half opened and faced towards the floor. Then he pondered a bit and nodded.

"Fine. We'll get it back but first. Tell us where we can get it." Leon said, kneeling and looking at the king, who was still looking down towards the ground.

"The...Marsh Cave...just south of here..." He said and Leon nodded and got up. "Thank you..." Leon heard him say, before they went out the castle.

"You're sure? That guy looks like he could die any minute." Erick stated walking next to Leon.

"Yeah. It's the least we can do for a dying man like him." Leon said and Erick nodded. Then no one said anything for the rest of the trip, which took about an hour to reach Marsh Cave.

_**~ A while later ~**_

"Ugh...This place has such...a stench..." Saria complained as they reached the entrance of the cave, which was a hole in the ground with a ladder leading down.

"Hahaha. Well, no complaining now!" Leon said as he went down the ladder, and the rest of them followed. They explored the cave thoroughly, using Saria's surprisingly excellent skill in navigation to get back to the right track. Then, when they explored the entirety of the lower floors, they went down, were they were surprised to find a sort of room like structure. They opened the door and found a chest in the middle.

"This looks like a trap." Erick stated and got out his knives. Saria got her hammer and Leon readied his sword. Ailith didn't do anything, she had her weapons right there. They approached the chest cautiously and opened it, to find a crown that radiated an ominous energy.

"That's it?" Leon said as he flinched while taking the crown. Just then, the cave shook and they heard laughing from around them. "Well, I should've guessed." He stated, looking around for the source of the laughter. They all ran out the room, only to be greeted by an army of crawling monsters on the walls of the cave. The warriors could see their red eyes against the darkness, getting closer at an alarming speed.

"There's no way we can fight this off! We have to run." Claude said sternly and then pushed them towards the direction of the fourth floor. Erick began throwing a flurry of ice, lightning, and fireballs at the creatures crawling their way, holding them off and hurting them. Then, Claude dropped a piece of paper with runes on it. When they were far enough, he snapped his fingers and the paper exploded, sending a huge wave of energy throughout the cave and shaking it. Boulders started falling behind them and they soon reached the exit, just in time to see boulders blocking it off. They all rested for a while and began to walk back to the Castle. After a while of walking they saw the castle and went inside. The king smiled at them.

"Is...Is that my crown? Goodness me, thank you so much kind travellers..." The king said as he received the crown. Then the four of them noticed something off about him, something they could not quite explain.

"HAHAHAHAHAHA!" He suddenly burst out, his laugh maniacal, feral, and surprisingly young. They immediately readied their weapons as the King laughed. Then he began to change into a dark elf. "Now that I have the crown and the eye I am now more powerful than ever! I AM ASTOS, KING OF THE DARK ELVES!" He yelled as a barrage of dark elves surrounded the castle. The dark elves then lunged forward and the five of them jumped away, dodging their weapons.

"Well you know what? I don't like your face buddy! Get out of my sight, you ugly bastard!" Erick yelled as he threw a ball of ice the Astos's way, his daggers blocking and countering any attack from the dark elves. Saria put a defensive shield on all of them and then began to counter each of the dark elves. Although she could only handle one at a time and Ailith was the one to defend her, beating badly and throwing each of the elves to the other side of the castle every time she got the chance. Leon, however, was fighting Astos at the very far end of the hallway.

"Give us the eye Astos! It doesn't belong to you!" Leon said, dodging his fireball and countering, placing a good slash on Astos's side, which brought him to his knees®.

"It doesn't belong to you either! You hypocrite!" Astos yelled clutching his bleeding side and crawling away from Leon, his minions helping him up. Leon lunged forward and blocked one of the attacks, while kicking the other elf and knocking him out. Leon swung his sword to the side, making the elf stumble, then stabbed the elf and turned towards Astos. Then, an elf came flying towards the pillar next to them, breaking it and falling unconscious. The four came towards Astos, standing threateningly beside Leon.

"Y-You'll have to slay me before you can do that! I'm not letting this go until I'm dead!" Astos yelled and Leon clicked his tongue while rolling his eyes.

"I don't want to play your games Astos, now hand me the eye!" Leon said, charging forward and slashing Astos, who jumped away and dodged the attack, throwing fireballs at Leon. Saria easily blocked them, putting a shield over Leon. Astos frantically threw as many spells at him as he could, until eventually, he ran out of energy to do so. Leaving him to fend in the physical.

"Dammit! I-I...!" He said, blocking Leon's sword, which was inches from his face. The others watched as Leon fought a one-sided battle. Soon enough, Astos was laying in the ground, bleeding. Then his breathing stopped and he fell limp on the floor.

"You didn't even break a sweat." Erick said and high-fived Leon.

"No sweat to break." Leon said plainly as he got the Crystal Eye from Astos's belt. They all walked away from the castle and headed back to Elfheim.

"Hey what do we do now...ABOUT THE FRIGGIN SHIP!?" Leon said, flailing his arms around Erick, who only shrugged.

"Dunno. What do you want me to do? Get an instruction manual for it?" Erick sarcastically asked, looking at Leon with unaffected eyes. Leon frowned and he turned toward Erick, his expression clearly showing he was panicked. "Calm down! It's not the end of the world..._yet_. Just leave the ship to me, alright?" He said grinning under the shadows of his clothing. They only gave him a confused look.

_**~ A while after ~**_

"How did he learn to steer a ship in the mountains? You won't need a ship there. Unless, of course, it was some sort of flying ship." Saria asked Ailith, who shrugged. Claude only smiled at the scene before him.

"Hey this is fun! I think I'm getting the hang of this!" Leon happily said, steering the ship. Erick cautiously watched and every now and then steered the ship the other direction to keep them from crashing into some rocks or a cliff.

"Don't get cocky moron. You almost steered us into a cliff at one point." Erick stated, still eying Leon cautiously.

_**~ Back in the shores of Cornelia ~**_

They were greeted by many of the villagers, and of course the King and his company, who treated them to their dinner and their stay. They stayed in for the night and in the morning, got up and headed north. Then, they saw a strange looking cave and Ailith and Erick immediately knew there was someone living there.

"Here. She's in here. I've lived in a cave long enough to know when someone decorates it as their home." Erick stated, and the others followed. Inside the cave, the halls were lined with torches to light the way, a very fine looking red and gold carpet covered the floor and last but not least, there were rooms. They saw in the distance, brooms with mouths, sweeping by themselves, and singing in a cute tune.

"Swish, swish, swish a-roo! Dust over here! Dust over there! Swish and sweep, wipe it clean!" They all sung together. They didn't seem to mind the Warriors there, and it seemed they were friendly.

"Hi there, friend! May I assist you in finding something?" One of the brooms said to Leon, who jumped when it went in front of him.

"The witch, Matoya. We've retrieved her eye." Leon said and the brooms suddenly jumped in unison.

"Oh, by my hair! The master's eye!" They all said in a singsong voice and jumped for joy. It was weird for the warriors, to see jumping brooms. They all jumped like little birds do when they are too lazy to use their wings.

"Come this way Sir! Oh, master! We've found people who have found your eye!" The broom said, jumping in front of a room. Then, the Warriors heard a voice from the other side, as well as stumbling, crashing and at times, breaking noises.

"Who-OW! Oh, no! Not another jar! Where's the friggin door!?" The voice of a spunky witch yelled from the other side. She could be heard, tripping and stumbling on various things. She then, finally opened the door reaching out to whoever was in front of it, which happened to be Leon's chest.

"Wa-huh? What's this? A man?" She asked, still feeling around. She had a purple robe that looked like a dress, a brown hat, and purple hair that was parted to the left side of her face, covering her eye patch. The others snickered at Leon and he glared at them. He then took her wrist and placed the eye in her hand.

"This! This is!" She exclaimed and turned around, putting the eye on. "HahahaHAHAHA! Yes! I can see! Oh, god! My room!" She said as she looked at the broken bottles and toppled furniture. Then, she flicked her fingers and the room began to fix itself. She turned around and looked at the warriors, her hands crossed in front of her chest.

"Hey, the name's Matoya. Thanks a bunch for getting my eye back, now I can actually see. Oh...Well, you're not as handsome as I thought you'd be...Anyway. I'm in your debt now, so what can I do for you? Let's just get this over with so that I won't have to deal with you again." Matoya said flicking her hair and turning around. Ailith had to stop Erick from throwing a fireball at her. Claude just crossed his arms and leaned on one foot while watching and smiling at the two other boys as they lost their temper. Saria, like Ailith, also stopped Leon from taking out his sword and cutting Matoya in half. ®

"A potion to cure a sleep caused by dark magic." Leon stated, Saria still stopping him from pulling out his sword.

"Hm? Sleep caused by dark magic...Ah, I've got just the thing." She said as she headed for one of the shelves that held many bottles of potions, brews, and other things. She took out one with a white and silvery liquid. "Here. This is sure to wake him up." She said, holding out the bottle. Leon took it and then they left, heading back for Cornelia. Once there, they stayed the night again and in the morning, they went back to Elfheim.

"This is the potion she gave us. Here, try it out." Leon said to the Cleric, who was eager to try the potion on the prince. He held out the potion and the Cleric took it, slowly opening the prince's mouth and pouring the fluid in. The prince swallowed ever drop and then his face showed disgust, before his eyes shot open and he began to cough.

"What the hell did you put in my mouth!?" He asked, clawing at his throat, his delicate blue eyes highlighted by his silken soft blonde hair.

"I do not know sire! Oh, but I'm so glad you're awake!" The Cleric said, hugging the beautiful prince who was still coughing and clawing his throat.

"Warriors I assume? Thank you ever so much for waking me up...Although maybe a kiss from one of you could have done the trick." The prince said, winking at Ailith and Saria, who were then blocked off by their protective older brothers. Saria and Ailith just giggled and watched the fun begin. They could already tell the prince's...fancy.

"Back of buddy. You may be a prince but that doesn't mean you can talk that way to our sisters." Leon said cracking his knuckles.

"Ah, I like a man that sticks up for his loved ones..." The prince said and Leon and Erick both backed away in shock. Ailith and Saria just laughed, and the Cleric just face palmed. He shook his head and gently tapped on the prince's head, which made the prince frown.

"Argh. You know this is who I am! Geez...Anyway, warriors, take this key. It was especially made to open all sorts of locked doors...Oh, and you can open the door to my room anytime." The prince said as he winked when Leon took the key. Both Leon and Erick backed away slowly, and then when they reached the door of the room, they ran out. Ailith and Saria both laughed, and watched as their brothers fled in horror. They made girly chit-chat on the way back to Cornelia and once the warriors reached Cornelia they immediately went for the Inn.

"Okay, so. What are we supposed to do now? We're still kinda trapped in this continent. Unless all the crystals are all here, which I doubt." Leon asked the team, and they all pondered. All except for Claude, who tilted his hat and smiled underneath.

"You came to solve problems right? Well, the dwarves got a problem for ya! The Dwarven Cave is just northwest corner of the Aldi Sea Leon! They said they needed Nitro Powder or something like that..." A dancing girl said, dancing into Leon's lap. The others smirked and began to whisper to each other. Leon glared at them with a red face. "You can pay me back later." She said in a cheerful and happy voice as she got up and winked at Leon, then exited the dining room of the Inn.

"Well, well, _WELL_. Looks like you're pretty popular with the ladies here Leo. Care to explain why?" Claude teased tilting his hat and smiling his arrogant, handsome smile. Leon only frowned and looked away, mumbling something to himself.

"Yeah, Leon's pretty popular with most of the ladies here. It's because he saved me that long time ago. Since then the ladies have been ogling him." Saria playfully said. Then they began to whisper to each other again.

"Say. What did your girlfriend say again? Nitro Powder right? I heard they had some in the Cornelian Castle." Claude said, tilting his hat and crossing his legs. Leon only grunted and got up.

"Right! Let's go to the Castle." Leon said, storming out of the Inn with a red face.

_**~ At the Castle ~**_

"What is it I can do for you my boy?" The King asked as he gave them a warm smile and welcome.

"Sorry to barge in like this. Well, we need explosives. To break the mountain path that blocks the way to the other continents. We can't get to the crystals otherwise." Leon stated.

"We have just the thing! But oh, we seemed to have lost the key to that room! The things there have been locked up for ages!" The King stated, looking aggravated. Leon then held out the Mystic Key and the King looked astonished. "That's the key! Wherever did you find it!" He asked.

"It was in the hands of the Elfen prince. If it's your key, I have no idea how it got to him." Leon stated blankly.

"OH! That's right! We gave him the key for safekeeping! But then we forgot to empty the rooms before actually giving him the key! Hahaha! It seems like he knows who to trust." The King laughed.

"Sir, does this room, by any chance...have equipment we can use?" Erick asked curiously with Ailith listening just as curiously by his side.

"Why of course!" The King said. Then Erick threw his fork at Leon, who caught it but was pushed over by Erick, who now had the key.

"Let's go!" Erick said and he and Ailith ran upstairs toward the locked room.

"Hey wait!" Leon said as he and Saria chased after them. The King only shook his head and smiled, they didn't know all that equipment was almost useless by now. When they reached the door Erick happily unlocked it, and Ailith kicked it open, being careful enough not to break it. Inside, their eyes gleamed, various treasure chests lined the room, some wide and big, other small and tiny.

"DUDE WHAT THE HELL!?" Leon said as he crashed into Erick, who just pushed him aside and went toward the chests.

"Where is it!? _**WHERE ARE THE WEAPONS!?**_" Erick yelled, opening the chests to reveal various potions, and strangely enough, tents. Then he opened one chest and his eyes glimmered. Inside was a sword, a hammer, a shield, three cloaks, and two knives made of a blue metal. Erick immediately grabbed the two knives, a cloak, some potions, and then began to feel the knives.

"MORE _IMPORTANTLY!_" Leon yelled at Erick who was giddily jumping up and down now that he had new weapons and a shield. He pushed Erick aside and looked at the chest, before a huge smile spread across his face. "MY WEAPON! _**GIVE ME!**_" Leon yelled as he picked up the blue sword and shield, and then jumped up and down just like Erick. Saria sighed and shook her head, while Ailith just giggled while getting her cloak.

"You're serious?" Saria said, getting the Nitro Powder from one of the chests, and then her eyes set on a blue staff. It was just so tempting. A smile drifted on her face and she got the staff and the cloak. "Well...Maybe it's not _that_ bad." She said as she started jumping like the two boys. Claude just smiled and looked at them, the sight of them so happy was calming to him and Amilia.

"What are you standing there for? Grab a weapo...oh." Erick's voice trailed off by the sight of an empty weapon box. "Hah, sorry. We'll buy you something. Promise!" He laughed and Claude smiled, shaking his head.

"No need. I'll be fine with old Barbaria here." Claude said, hiding the sheathe of his sword under his cape.

"Let's go guys." He stated and they all left the Castle. As they walked by the fountain in the town center Claude saw a familiar figure of a woman with a very curvaceous and buxom build. She wore a hooded robe and smiled at him, her red lips curling to show part of her sharp teeth. The woman crossed her legs and looked at them in a provocative pose. Claude stared at her, wide-eyed and unable to move for a while. The others just giggled in the corner.

"Wow, you must have high standards. She's uh...really uh...Well you know what? I'll just say it. She's incredibly arousing." Erick's voice trailed off as he tried to see her face, which was covered by a hood. He sensed something unusual about her, something akin to an extremely strong energy in hiding. Then Claude immediately snapped out of his trance.

"Uh...Y-Yeah. Yeah. She's really uh s-uh...s-something!" He said nervously as he still couldn't take his eyes off the woman. She only got up and walked away, still smiling. Claude immediately became nervous, he _NEVER_ saw _**her**_out of her Labyrinth. Then they proceeded to tease him as they went to out of Cornelia.

"Huh? What's she doing out in the woods? Hey lady! You shouldn't be out here, it's dangerous!" Leon yelled as he walked up to her. The woman turned towards him, her luscious red lips curling to a smile that made Leon uncomfortable.

"Ah, the caring leader. Good, good." She said. Her voice was so sensual and yet so eerie that it sent chills down Leon's spine. "You need not worry Warrior. Oh, but do pay me a visit one day. I believe you'll know where to find me when the time is right." She said, turning towards the woods and disappearing into it. The sound of her voice made Erick suspicious, now he knew she definitely hid something.

"H-Hey. What are you guys doing just staring like that? W-We need to go. It'll take about five or so hours to get to the Dwarven docks." Claude said uncertainly, his voice also trailing off.

"What's a girl like her doing here? Besides, she was dressed kinda funny. Well, if she was even dressed at all!" Saria said, eying the path she went to. Claude panicked a little and laughed nervously, then his fear came true. "Let's follow her. I'm sure we can spare a few minutes right?" She said and they all nodded, following the mysterious woman back to the Chaos Shrine. The woman went to the very far corner of the Shrine, and then disappeared.

"Well! Nothing here! Okay, let's go now!" Claude laughed nervously and then they all walked towards the entrance. He let out a silent sigh of relief, and in the distance, so did Amilia.

"That was disappointing. We totally lost sight of her. What's she doing in the Chaos Shrine anyway?" Ailith questioned to herself and the rest pondered. Claude grabbed her shoulder, causing her to jump a little.

"Well, that doesn't matter does it? Come on guys, let's go already. The Dwarves need that Nitro Powder after all. Besides, adventure awaits when we can sail the world!" Claude said and they all followed him back to the Cornelian docks. Erick however, was still pondering on that woman, if she was hardly human at all. There was just something strange about her, her energy, the way she was dressed, even the way she carried herself. Her posture and walk was akin to that of royalty, only even more proper and prim. Erick pondered this because he knew that she was definitely hiding something.

"See you later mom..." Claude mumbled quietly to himself as he glanced back to where the woman headed. They got to their ship and sailed towards the northwest side of the Aldi Sea. Within a few hours time they finally reached the docks and could see the Dwarven Cave near it. They landed and went into the cave. It smelled like fuel, gunpowder, and metal, and sounds of clanking and pounding could be heard all over the place.

"Lali-ho! How ya doin' ma good friend? May I help ya with sum'in?" A little dwarf said, popping up in front of Saria and making her jump a little. Leon stepped in front of the Dwarf and showed him the Nitro Powder. He jumped for joy and called out to his friends. Soon enough they were all surrounded by little dwarves.

"Ya be'er tell mi lad Nerrick! He's been looking all over the place for that stuff!" One dwarf said and they led him to Nerrick, who was at the far corner of the cave, trying to pound on the boulders with his hammer.

"By my beard! Could it be? The blasted Nitro Powder! Get it? _**Blasted!?**_" Nerrick and the other dwarves laughed and soon enough, the whole cave sounded like it was laughing. "Give her ere lad! By my word, how can we ever thank ya?" Nerrick said taking the Nitro Powder from Leon and putting it into a case with a rope hanging from it. Then the other dwarves told the Warriors to back off, and they led them a safe distance away.

"LALI-HO!" They heard Nerrick say as they saw him run their direction. Just then, the whole cave shook and the sound of something collapsing could be heard in the distance.

"There. We can get to the other continents now." Claude said, and they thanked the dwarves before going off. However, they were stopped by a little dwarf in red.

"Lads! I-I dunno how tee thank ya, but if you happen to find a metal I can use then I'll be appy to make a legendry sword for ya! Please, it's the least I can do!" The dwarf said and Leon nodded. Saria gave it a little pat on the head.

"Don't worry, you don't owe us anything. However if we find that metal do you mind still making the sword?" Leon said, kneeling down until he was face to face with the dwarf.

"Not a problem ya! Be safe lads! Oh, and do take this as a token of our appreciation!" The dwarf said, and other dwarves came from the cave, holding baskets and bags full of bread, food, fruits, and things for making various other kinds of food. Leon was shocked at how much bags and baskets there were.

"Thank you very much." Saria said. The dwarves went into the ship and put the bags and baskets down. Then they left and saw the Warriors off. Then they began to sail the waters, nothing in sight for the first two or so days. However, they began to see a sign of an island in the distance and they immediately headed for it.

Seriously, Astos was really no problem in all of my playthroughs, neither was Garland, but well, he's kinda a major villain. So I had to make him appear threatening, in game it's like bleh.

Oh yeah, and Matoya's kinda...really? After we gave you your eyesight back that's how you thank us?


	6. Melmond

Okay, this is a plotline part so it'll have an action scene. Don't worry, things will get more action packed from now on.

* * *

Within a few days, they landed and headed for the village. What they saw, was truly a very rotten and sad sight. They saw a sign in front of it that said Melmond Village.

"W...What happened here?" Saria said, devastated at the current condition of the town. The people were walking around tattered and nearly broken houses, the ground below them looked as if it was drained of energy and rotting. The people of the town looked like lifeless dolls that moved, their expressions always miserable or sad. Their eyes showed no sign of emotion other than sadness or blankness. The Warriors immediately went to the Inn, which wasn't very impressive, because it looked as if it was rotting.

"..." The registry woman looked at Saria and the other and got a check for a room for five. Her eyes were lifeless and dull and this made Saria frown. She looked down, frowning and sad. Leon and the others only shook their heads and looked away.

"Yes. Um, do you uh...If you don't mind me asking...What happened to this town?" Saria asked taking the check for their stay.

"..." The registration woman only kept quiet, looking down with sad eyes. Saria frowned and they went upstairs to a room that had only one window, two bathrooms, and four beds. They all sat on their beds, heads hanging low and their faces showing clear signs of sadness. Then Erick got up and looked out the window.

"What the hell happened here? It...It's such a miserable town...The people here seem so...lifeless and ugh. It's just so...drained." Erick said looking out the window with sad eyes. Shortly after a knock was heard from the door, and a woman with a cart full of trays went into the room.

"..." She said as she placed a tray full of food into each of their beds and walked away, pushing the cart and closing the door behind her.

"Geez...It's like they're just doll with blank or depressed faces..." Ailith said, taking some bread from the tray and putting honey and butter over it. The others looked at her and shook their heads.

"You can say that again...This...We have to get to the bottom of this. We'll try to question the civilians to find a lead first. Then we'll see what we can do from there." Leon said, gaining his composure. He looked out the window with Erick and sighed.

"Fine. I-I'll see what I can do. I'll begin questioning the people here. I'll see what I can find out and I'll report back to you within the hour." Claude said getting up walking out the room. Before he walked out, he stopped and looked at Ailith, who gave him a raised eyebrow. He was about to say something before he shook his head and left, closing the door behind him. The others gave Ailith a raised eyebrow and Leon and Erick began to snicker to each other.

"Hahaha. What's all that about? Guess he has something of a crush on her." Leon whispered to Erick who grinned under the shadows of his clothing. Saria just gave Ailith a pat on the shoulder and a smile.

"But seriously. If he touches her, I'll kill him." Erick suddenly said in a serious tone, surprising Leon.

"Don't worry, he can't do anything when we're here." Saria said, giving Ailith gentle encouragement. Ailith looked down and her face became a little red.

_**~ Out in Melmond ~**_

Claude went out of the inn, and looked for a person he could find information from. He followed a man to the very far corner of the village, where no one could see them. Then as the man began to pick fruits from the trees, there, Claude pushed him to the ground and held him by the head. The man struggled, not saying anything but only grunting.

"Let's see now." Claude said as he put his hand on the man head, his eyes glowing a silver light. The man was put into a trance as flashes of images and memories from the man were absorbed into Claude's mind. He saw the frequent attacks on the city, the shadow like monster that would appear and terrorize the citizens, and the fires that spread because of the monster. Claude let the man go and he fell to the floor, fast asleep.

"Okay, so now that's done. Where does this monster live?" Claude said walking away from the trees and into the town center. He looked around, looking for more people that he could absorb memories from. Then he spotted a familiar Ninja in the town, wandering around. Claude went up to her and was greeted by a sharp knife that he easily caught with his bare hand, which was now bleeding.

"Yeah, hello to you too. What are you doing here exactly?" Claude asked, throwing the knife back at her. Amilia caught the knife by the handle and flicked it, shaking the blood clean off, and then sheathed it.

"Looking for you, asshole. The one who's been terrorizing this place is a Vampire Lord working for the Fiend of Earth." Amilia said, crossing her arms.

"Hmph. How did you find that out? Did you get yourself a boyfriend?" Claude teased and laughed. Amilia only rolled her eyes and sighed.

"Whatever you say Romeo. Now back to the point. Both of them can be located in the Cavern of Earth south of here, in a part of this continent they like to call, the 'Devil's Tail'. Amilia said plainly in her stern voice, and Claude nodded.

"Stop calling me that! Why do you treat me like dirt all the time? But hey, you get what you give right?" Claude said playfully and Amilia only shook her head.

"You want me to call you asshole instead? I think that suits you better." She asked and then Claude grunted and sighed. He shook his head and flopped down on the stone chair and Amilia sat next to him. Claude laughed and then so did Amilia.

"Ahahaha. Guess that does suit me huh? Nope, I think I'd prefer Romeo instead." Claude said shaking his head.

"Fine then, asshole it is." Amilia laughed. "You should get going and please take care of them. I know that guy's got something up his sleeve..." She said before jumping off, her silhouette disappearing within a second as she jumped from roof to roof. Claude got up and walked toward the Inn.

"I got some...Where's Erick?" Claude asked looking around. Erick was nowhere in sight.

"He just went out for a walk. He likes to do that a lot. You were saying?" Ailith answered. Claude sighed and sat down next to her.

"Well that's no good. I'll have to wait for him to get back before I inform everybody. It's better if I tell everyone anyway." Claude mumbled to himself. Then, Leon and Erick snickered and began to whisper to each other, while Saria just rolled her eyes.

_**~ Meanwhile ~**_

"I...I'll just be heading out for some fresh air alright?" Erick said getting up and opening the door. The rest nodded and he left.

"Hmm. There's something about this air...it's just...so unnatural. It's heavy and thick. That's the total opposite of what air is like." Erick mumbled to himself and then sat down near the trees. He sighed and then closed his eyes. Erick began to concentrate for a while, before he opened his eyes.

"There's no wind. Everything's so still...Don't get me wrong. I love silence...but not this kind..." Erick mumbled to himself, noticing the eerie silence that surrounded the town. "That most likely means I'm correct and there is a magic surrounding the town...that could also be why this town's so glum." He pondered to himself.

"But then...Who would be doing this? What could be doing this? To drain the energy of a whole town using magic..." Erick pondered to himself and then got up, smelling the air. There was something in the air that didn't smell right; it didn't smell like fresh and natural air. "This smells like...hmm. I better get back, it's getting dark." Erick mumbled to himself and headed back to the inn.

"Hey, you're back. Alright, I have news for everyone. There's been a monster that has been terrorizing the village, and not only that. He's the one who has been rotting the earth here. This Vampire Lord lives in a cave called the Cavern of Earth, which is just south from here." Claude said as he lied down on his bed. Erick looked down and pondered.

"This work can't just be a vampire...There's just too much of a draining energy around this place..." Erick thought to himself as he lied down on his bed. Claude noticed some confusion in his eyes and smiled slightly.

"Right. Good job Claude. Alright everyone we leave first thing in noon tomorrow." Leon said, gaining his composure as a leader. They all nodded and then went to their beds. The Warriors slept soundly that night. Somewhere in the distance a shadowy figure crept back into the darkness, soundless and silent. He blended in almost as if he was part of the darkness and the only thing you could see of him, was his two golden, piercing, and gleaming eyes. He silently lifted his robe and flew away, so silent you cannot hear him at all.

_**~ Somewhere else ~**_

The figure landed in front of a cave and went inside, the creatures all backed away in fear. He had the posture of a king, regal and majestic. His face was handsome and feral, his skin was a pale complexion, and his eyes were piercing and yet beautiful. He walked up to a giant shadow in front of a giant crystal.

"My Lord, the Warriors have come. You have foreseen this have you not?" The Vampire Lord asked the giant shadow in a deep voice. The shadow turned toward him and nodded, his composure also that of a king. The vampire frowned and looked down.

"You need not worry about me Oliver. It was the will of my father and it shall be done." The giant shadow said and the vampire looked at him with sad eyes. He slowly crept up to the figure and nuzzled his master gently.

"Are you sure? Then...W-What about me? I...I am nothing without you...Even if I ran I...Please..." Oliver said as he looked at the figure with sorrowful eyes. The figure kneeled down towards him and put his hand on the vampire's head.

"You have done your duty remarkably. You deserve something more than me. Besides, you always complained about wanting to feel alive." The figure said, patting the vampire softly. The vampire gave him a frown and sad eyes.

"You know I deserve nothing less than you. Even if I was to feel alive, I care too much about you to let go. You are everything I have..." Oliver said, his voice turning monochrome. The figure looked at him with blood red and feral eyes. The vampire sighed and nodded. "Yes my Lord. If it is your wish, then it shall be done." He said and stood up, turning the other way. Before he went out the current floor they were in, he looked back at his master and sighed. Oliver exited the room they were in and went to the upper floors of the cave. Then, he sealed a stone monument that lead to the lower floors, in order to protect his master.

"This won't hold for long however...it...it's all I can do." Oliver mumbled to himself and sat in a throne next to the monument. Then, he closed his eyes and waited.

_**~ The Next Day ~**_

"Alright! Everyone set?" Leon said, packing some potions on his belt. They all nodded and went outside, where they were greeted by many sad faces. Saria only looked down and frowned. A White Mage seeing this was very hurtful. The Warriors all went out of the village and journeyed south. Within an hour's time, they got to the Devil's Tail and saw the cave.

"This must be it." Erick said, eying the cave. They all went inside and smelled a gross and horrible smell.

"Oh my...It smells like something's rotting in here...Ugh..." Erick said, putting his hand over his face.

"Put on a gas mask then." Leon laughed but was also discouraged by the smell of the cave. They travelled some floors down until they reached a cave that looked like a room. The only light in that room were stones that glowed in the dark, which were on the walls. Red, black, and white draperies lined the corners of the room and in the middle they saw a cloaked man in a throne. He was asleep and looked almost dead. His breaths were so silent that even if they were close enough, they still could not hear them. The only sign he was alive was the barely visible rise and fall of his chest.

"Is this...The Vampire the villagers were talking about?" Erick said getting closer until he was within arm's reach of the sleeping creature. All of them, except for Claude, went next to Erick to get a better look. Just then the vampire opened his eyes and they all jumped, save for Leon who gave a little yelp. Although it was not such a little yelp, as it echoed throughout the room, leaving Leon with a very red face. The others tried not to laugh.

"These are the Warriors?" The vampire thought to himself as he eyed the people giggling in front of him. Just then, they all focused their attention on the vampire again as he stood up. His gaze was menacing and his eyes were unblinking and they began to feel very uneasy. He stood up fully, his posture akin to that of an emperor, and took a deep breath from his mouth.

"Who are you to disturb my sleep? Who dares wake me up if not for feed?" The vampire said with a deep and monochrome voice. They all readied their weapons as the vampire took a defensive stance. "I will not allow you to cross this path. Face me!" He demanded, his voice powerful and strong. Oliver threw his cloak at Leon who caught it and then threw it away. However when he threw it he was met by the sight of Oliver right at his face, and he blocked a knife just in time. Saria began to put a defensive shield over each one of them and Ailith began to attack, while Erick threw fireballs at the vampire. Oliver dodged every attack with speed and grace, almost as if in a dance. He twirled and blocked Leon's attacks in an elegant manner, his movements graceful like a dancer. Leon could not keep track of his arms and before he knew it, he was grazed slightly in several places.

"Hmph. You've got skill." Leon complimented the vampire, who then proceeded to jump back and land in a graceful pose, taunting Leon. He grunted in frustration as Ailith came from behind him and began to attack the vampire, who dodged her every attack gracefully. She then swung her left foot at his face, and then stopped right before he could block. Kicking her right foot after, she hit him in the face and he flew across the room, hitting and shattering part of the wall behind him. Oliver let out a sensual cry and held his head, shaking it a little. Then he quickly regained his posture as Erick threw fireballs at him while attacking him with his knives. Attacks well coordinated so as not to let the opponent strike back. However, the vampire continued to dance his way around the attacks, irritating Erick.

"Won't you just stop with your fancy tricks and turns!? It's pissing the hell outa me!" Erick yelled as he finally slashed Oliver, causing him to stumble back and be burned by Erick's fire.

"Hahaha...So this is what he meant..." Oliver laughed to himself as he held his injured side. Then he began laughing more, his eerie laugh echoing throughout the room. "Still, I cannot allow you to reach my master!" He yelled as a red aura surrounded him. Oliver spun and threw several knives at the Warriors, who blocked and dodged them. Then, before he knew it, Oliver was within arm's reach of Erick about to slash him. Erick was fast enough to block with his own knife and a streak of cutting energy followed. This however, only bounced off Oliver's red aura as he continued to attack Erick.

"Gimme a hand!" Ailith said, running towards Erick. Erick then lifted her and she jumped on top of him. Landing behind the vampire, she and Erick attacked from both sides. Their attacks were continuous and well consecutive, and they left the vampire dodging and unable to attack. Oliver turned his attention to Ailith and slashed at her with his knife. She caught his wrist and twisted it, and then jumped on him and kicked him in an uppercut-style summersault.

"OHH..." Oliver moaned in an erotic way as he stumbled back. Then he looked at his disfigured hand and snapped it back in place, making the warriors cringe. "You first my dear." He said as he began to attack Ailith, who jumped back and countered his every attack, making him even more excited. Oliver slashed at her and she pushed his hand to the side, kicking him with her knee and sending him flying the other direction. Just then, Erick threw a blaze of fire at him and he jumped back, blinded.

"Don't you dare, you perverted asshole!" Erick yelled as he jumped from the blaze and slashed at Oliver, who was caught off guard. Leon and Ailith soon followed and they began to attack the vampire with ferocious power. Each time Oliver blocked, he stumbled because of the strength of the three warriors.

"If...If I can just maximize their power even more..." Claude panted while putting some kind of aura to Leon and Erick, increasing their strength.

"Let me help you Claude." Saria said and they both began to channel the energy to Leon, Erick, and Ailith.

"Good! GOOD! Make me feel alive Warriors! That is my last wish!" Oliver yelled out and continued to dance around their attacks, his hands elegantly moving around his body and reaching out for his knives to slash them. They attacked him relentlessly until he gave way and Leon stabbed him in the back.

"I'm sorry...f-father..." He said as he dropped dead. The warriors all looked at each other and sighed in relief.

"Hey. I found something that might be of some use." Claude said, getting an enormous ruby from the chest next to the Oliver's throne. They went out of the cave and returned to the village.


	7. The Fiend of Earth

For added effect, when they meet the fiend, play this music. Search up Patchwork Chimera and click on the one with the girl in a pink dress and blue hair. Enjoy!

Once they returned the warriors were surprised to find that the village and earth were still rotting. They looked around and tried to question the people, but only received blank and depressed stares.

"Wh...I-I thought...We already defeated the one who put the spell on this place...Shouldn't it be..." Saria said, devastated that the town was still in its current condition.

"It's just as I thought. There really is a bigger picture to all this...A-Ai. Where's Master Sarda from here again? Let's go see him, I know he'll have some useful info for us." Erick said as he looked at Ailith. Who then nodded and pondered for a while.

"Let's rest up. It's gonna be a walk from here but we can get there within five hours time." Ailith said, remembering the path to their cave house.

_**~ The Next Day ~**_

They all ate their meals and followed Ailith, who led them to a cave. Some floors down, the entrance was blocked off by a deep hole and stone golem inside, digging. They walked up to him and he turned towards them, his face showing no signs of hostility.

"I'M SO HUNGRY. TRAVELERS CAN YOU GET ME A STAR RUBY? I HAVE WORK HERE AND I CANNOT LEAVE JUST YET." The golem asked in a slow and deep voice. Claude pondered for a moment and then reached into his free bag, which contained the enormous ruby from the Cavern of Earth. He handed it to the giant and the giant happily grabbed it. He leaned over and allowed them to pass on his back. The Warriors walked out the cave and reached a field full of different coloured flowers. It had trees on one side, a meadow with a willow tree in the opposite, and a pond at the back of a giant boulder. The flower's gentle scents drifted in the wind along with their petals and in the distance, the entrance to a cave could be seen. Saria and Leon looked in awe at the peaceful scene as they all walked toward the cave.

"Yeah, good thinking Ai." Erick said as he looked at the nostalgic scene in front of him. Claude's eyes softened as he saw how the petals danced in the air, this reminded him of something. He quickly brushed the thought aside and shook his head. Soon enough the warriors reached the cave. Inside the walls were lined with torches and the floor was lined with a red carpet. The cave had several rooms, two of which were Ailith and Erick's rooms, and one of which was a library full of various books. There were also some creatures inside that looked like giant walking rats that would clean, cook, and fix things. They entered a room with mats on both sides and parts that showed the outside, almost like windows. In the middle of the room sat a sage that read a book. Ailith and Erick immediately ran to the sage and bowed.

"Master Sarda! We're here with the other crystal bearers." They both said happily in unison.

"Nice to meet you. You don't need to be so shy. I'm Sarda, the one who taught and raised these two." He said, pointing to Ailith and Erick. Leon and Saria gave him a polite smile and shook his hand. "Anyway what can I help you with as of now?" He asked, his voice calm and wise. Sarda eyed Claude cautiously and shook his hand, smiling politely.

"Hmph. Not bad. He can sense my power even though I'm hiding it..." Claude thought to himself, smiling and shaking Sarda's hand.

"Sifu, we already defeated the one who has been terrorizing Melmond, but his spell hasn't stopped working. We were wondering if you could maybe give us some insight on this?" Ailith asked. Leon and Saria cautiously and awkwardly approached the sage. Sarda gave them a warm smile and reached his hand out to them.

"Have you really defeated the one who has been rotting Melmond? Because it is to my understanding that you defeated the one who terrorized Melmond, not the one who is causing it to rot. Take this warriors. You'll need it if you want to progress through the Cavern of Earth." Sarda said, handing them a rod that was enchanted.

"I...I thought there was no more there." Erick pondered to himself and Sarda sighed.

"Ah my boy. Everything is not as you see it. You have so much more to learn. Use the rod in the lowest floor you got to and then it'll light up. Then use it to open the door." Sarda said.

"Thank you Sifu. Uh...I see you hired helpers." Erick said eying the rat that came in with a tray full of food. It squeaked and raised its ears. Sarda laughed and squeaked back at it, then it left.

"Yes I did! I am an old man after all. Do stay a bit longer my boy. We have plenty food for everyone. Ohohoho! Food prepared by oversized walking rats!" Sarda joked and playfully laughed. They all ate and stayed for the night. Then they left the next morning, Ailith and Erick giving Sarda a hug and kiss. Sarda saw them off and waved goodbye.

_**~ Somewhere Else ~**_

"Ah...So my son has died...What a terrible fate he chose for himself...It matters not, we are of the fallen and no matter how many times we fall, we are destined to rise again...Sleep well my beloved son...Sleep well Oliver, I will wake you up again when the time is right..." A giant shadow next to a dim crystal said, his deep and monochrome voice echoing throughout the darkness of the cave.

"May you meet your demise...O Warriors of Light..." He said, a hand of bones reaching out to the dim brown crystal. The figure narrowed his blood red eyes and laughed, the eerie and slow laughter shaking the cave slightly.

_**~ In the Caver of Earth ~**_

"Whoa. This must be what Sage Sarda was talking about." Leon said as the Earth Rod shook slightly and began to be attracted to a glowing door below the throne of the vampire.

"Uh, guys. The corpse is gone...The blood is still here but the corpse is gone..." Saria said, freaked out and then she felt a hand on her shoulder, making her jump a little. Erick just nodded and she sighed and got up.

"That's irrelevant right now. Let's just find out who's doing all this and defeat him alright?" Erick said and Saria nodded following them down the door. They were met with eerie silence and several rooms. They explored each one, except for the middle one, which was at the far end. A strong energy was radiating from the room and they all braced themselves. Leon pushed the door open and they were met with gentle streams of light that shone down from the ceiling of the cave. A giant figure in purple lay crouched down in the middle, in front of a brown crystal, which was hardly shining. He looked almost like a giant boulder with a purple cloth covering it.

"That must be the Earth Crystal. We need to restore it guys." Claude said, and they readied their weapons. They approached the giant figure and it suddenly stood up, revealing its towering height.

"Who are you to wake me like this?" The being said in a deep and monochrome voice, towering over them. It wore a purple hooded robe that was torn and tattered on the edges, a crown to hold back the hood and reveal its face, two shoulder guards that were made of a strong metal that looked like bone, and several necklaces and bracelets of varying jewels. The being was made entirely of bones and had a skull for a face, its eyes were a blood red and glowed, and its mouth did not move when it talked.

"You must be...The Fiend of Earth, Lich. Hmph, I should have guessed you were the one who was rotting Melmond." Claude said, cringing at the sight of it. It turned and looked at Claude, its gaze judgemental and terrifying, and then laughed.

"Hahaha. You are correct traitor. Oh but I have plans for not just Melmond...But the entirety of the earth we stand on! The land of the dead, _BELONGS TO THE DEAD_!" Lich yelled and then stretched out his arms, laughing and disappearing into the shadows behind the streams of light that shone down from above them. Suddenly, he reappeared above them, his silhouette a sharp contrast to the light.

"Arise! Arise my sons! Arise oh thou who hath fallen on the battlefield!" He yelled, his voice commanding and powerful. Just then, the whole cave began to shake and then beings could be seen coming to the surface. Their bones were broken and shattered, and their faces and bodies were rotting. Yes, they were the dead, coming to life as Lich commanded. The Warriors all began to come nearer towards each other until they were back-to-back and surrounded.

"This...This isn't good." Leon said as he looked at the thousands of fallen who were now surrounding them, ready to attack in an instant.

"It's no time for that! Hold it together!" Ailith yelled at him as she swallowed the rest of her fear and began to attack the undead. Soon after Leon and Erick followed, attacking the horde of undead around them. Saria put a defensive barrier on all of them and worked her healing magic, healing any of their wounds, and using whatever magic she could to increase their speed and power.

Claude threw various talismans at the undead in front of him, which exploded and made a path for the other four as well. Erick threw whatever spell he could at Lich, and Leon cut anything undead in his way. Saria used one of her special spells that was especially for the undead and damaged quite a number of them.

Lich tried to slash Claude with his sharp bony hand and then Claude jumped, dodging it and landing on the hand. He then, began to run towards the fiends head, readying his sword. He unsheathed his sword and ran his hand along the blade. His eyes and sword glowed a blood red and an energy began to radiate from the sword, both extending it and strengthening it. Claude run up to Lich's head and slashed it, cutting off a part of the massive skull. Lich held his broken side and then Claude jumped off, landing on the undead and then attacking again.

"You're really a daredevil aren't you!?" Leon said, striking the undead.

"Heh! Yeah, you could call me that!" Claude said running towards Lich. He jumped, grabbed the undead king's robe, and began to climb on it.

"Hmph. You think human undead is all there is here? Arise! Arise my fallen sons of the sky!" Lich said, opening his arms. Suddenly the cave began to shake again, and then out of the ground, came a claw of bones. Next, wings of bones, and then the body of bones. It's eyes glowed and it roared, making the cave shake even more. Yes, this was an undead dragon and on it, was a familiar vampire.

"Hmph, not bad, you bony scum." Claude said, smiling and then jumping on the dragon. He unsheathed his sword and began to attack Oliver, who has now risen again.

"Arise! Your master commands you now!" Lich yelled, and then more dragons began to surface. The dragons flew up and then threw fireballs at them, most of which were blocked by Saria's defensive spells. Erick then concentrated and then released a wave of energy, slicing up whatever undead and undead dragons that was unfortunate enough to come near. Then, there was a silence as the all the undead were defeated.

"Ahaha...AHAHAHA!" Lich only laughed as he raised his arms and then the very undead they slew, began to rise again. All of them looked for their limbs and then attached them back to their bodies. The four warriors looked in horror, they were already very worn out.

"It...It's no use! They just keep on coming back!" Erick said as he dodged and countered an undead's attack.

"Leon! It's no use this guy's a necromancer! No matter how many times we slay all of these guys they'll just keep coming back unless you defeat him! Attack Lich!" Claude said, while dodging and countering Oliver's knives.

"Right! Give me a lift! I think I can get to him if I jump high enough!" Ailith said and then Leon pushed her up with his arms, and she jumped off them. She kept on jumping towards the face of the fiend, grabbing on to his clothes and pushing herself higher. She landed on Lich's shoulder guards and she placed the strongest kick she could muster on his face, shattering a large part of his skull. Ailith jumped off just in time to dodge a knife that was thrown her way, Saria did all she could to defend them and Erick began to throw various energy spells at the Fiend of Earth.

"Can you not see it is futile!? You are harmless against my father!" Oliver yelled at Claude, as he twirled and grabbed a knife from his shoulder guards and slashed at him. Claude evaded and then placed a fist on his stomach, making both Oliver and the dragon stumble. Then he sheathed his sword.

"Ahahaha. Well, this was getting a bit out of hand already. Just look at the poor warriors, getting all tired like that."Claude said, looking down at the four, who were struggling to fight on. He unsheathed his sword, a strong energy radiating from and extending it, and then slashed at Oliver. Oliver tried to jump away but was unable to escape the sword's energy extension, and he was cut badly.

"It is no use! I will just be revived!" Oliver said, holding his nearly cut open stomach and trembling.

"Point taken. Thanks for that." Claude said plainly, as he tilted his hat and smiled arrogantly, before jumping to Lich's shoulder guards and slashing his skull.

"Father!" Oliver screamed as he desperately threw a knife at Claude who caught it and smiled at him arrogantly again. "AAAHHH!" Oliver screamed falling to his knees, the dragon also let out a sharp cry and then fell to the ground.

"Bitch please." Claude said and then stabbed Lich in eye. Lich screamed, holding his eye and then the undead began to scream as well. Soon enough, all of the undead were screaming and crying in pain. Claude watched as Lich began to writhe in pain, a horrid and feral smile curling in his lips.

"This is for all the times I had to die and for all the pain I had to go through...for you and your bastard siblings..." Claude said and laughed maniacally as he took his sword out, and then stabbed Lich in the heart. Lich suddenly stopped screaming and so did all of the undead, an eerie silence drifting in the room. Lich fell backwards and then Claude jumped off.

"I couldn't protect you... I...I'm sorry father..." Oliver struggled to say, as he reached his hand out to Lich, before falling limp.

"I am of the Earth... and of the Earth I shall return..."" He said, closing his eyes. "To meet my one true creator and father...Meet your demise, O Warriors of Light. In the end, we shall sit by the throne of our creator and none will be left alive." Lich said weakly, before dying soon after. They suddenly turned their attention to the floating brown crystal in the center of the room. The dimly lit crystal spun in a slow manner and looked almost as if it called out to them. Leon looked back at the others and they nodded to him. He took his necklace and then held it out to the crystal. Both crystals began to glow and sparkle, their lights synchronized with each other. Soon enough, the giant crystal looked brimming with life, shinning until it was nearly blinding to look at.

"Hey...Look." Saria said, looking at the ground underneath her feet. Various little plants began growing underneath them and the ground began to feel more alive, and look less like it was rotting.

"The Earth crystal is radiating it's energy again. The same energy needed to create life." Claude said, looking at the shimmering and bright crystal.

"That's amazing...Can you guys feel how pure that energy is?" Erick said, astonished.

"Look at this place...It looks like a sanctuary now..." Saria said, gazing at the beautiful scene in front of them. The flowers grew and then opened; surrounding the giant shimmering and bright crystal, the streams of light and the energy of the crystals feeding them and making them grow abundantly.

"Let's go. We have to check on Melmond." Claude said, and then he noticed a monument next to the crystal. He signalled them to follow him and then they all stepped in front of the monument. Within a flash, they were outside the cave.

"Wow. How convenient." Erick jokingly said and they all went back to Melmond. They were happy to see the people there waking up from the trance, almost as if it was a dream. Some could be seen jumping for joy at the sheer thought that they were happy again and others could be seen pondering whether or not it was a dream. They all looked at the Warriors and then smiled, finally realizing what had happened. The villagers held a celebration for the Warriors. Before they left, they thanked them and gave them extra food for their journey.

"Hahaha..." Leon began to laugh happily. "That's one down. Three to go!" He said energetically and triumphantly as he sailed the ship.


	8. A Restless Day

I know it's sudden but I just got back to writing this and I couldn't help myself. My fingers just typed like something was controlling it. This is just a relaxed kind of chapter, I wanted to build more on the relationship between the characters so yeah. Hope you enjoy! ^^

* * *

After some days of sailing a seemingly unending sea, the Warriors finally saw land and a dock up ahead.

"Oh wow, and there I thought you were sailing us in circles." Erick said plainly and then Leon gently slapped the back of his head. Then, since those who weren't mages couldn't see the face of a Black Mage, Leon discovered something he hadn't known of before...Or he did and was just trying to piss Erick off.

"Wow, Black Mages have a face...and hair?" Leon asked, still looking ahead. Saria just laughed and then so did Claude.

"OF COURSE I HAVE A FACE AND HAIR! What the hell is wrong with you, you dimwit?!" Erick yelled at Leon who just shrugged and hid his laugh.

"What?! All I can see is a void of darkness with two bright yellow orbs for eyes!" Leon said and then Erick hit him again.

"You dimwit. Can't you tell he's just nagging your chain?" Claude said, tilting his hat a little.

"Well maybe he should already know that no _one likes it when I'm pissed._" Erick said, looking at Leon and then hitting him in the head.

"AHAHAHA! Oh man, you're just _too_ fun to play with sometimes..." Leon said, laughing. His laugh was then cut off by Erick's hand against his face, leaving a red mark on his cheek.

"As said before, NO ONE LIKES IT WHEN I'M PISSED." Erick said, and then Leon frowned.

"Chillax bro!" Claude said, putting one hand around Ailith's hips. Erick's lips twitched into a smile and he sent Claude flying towards the other side of the ship with his foot.

The two girls just watched as the boys began to fight with each other. Erick was throwing things in a fit of rage while Leon and Claude were laughing and dodging everything Erick threw at them.

**~ Some hours later ~**

"Oh my gh...What the hell is that horrible singing?" Ailith said, covering her ears with a pillow. Erick and Claude only read quietly next to her.

"By the sound of it, that's Leon." Erick said, not taking his eyes off the book he was reading, whose cover read Black Magic in another language.

"Oh gh...AGH! I can't take it! It sounds like forks screeching on a plate! Or rats trying to kill each other..." Ailith said, pressing the pillow to her ears harder as she heard Leon coming up the stairs of the ship.

"_You try your best but it's not quite there! YOU KICK A HOOF AND SAY IT'S JUST NOT FAIIRRR!_" Leon sung, his voice breaking in the last sentence.

"DINNER!" Saria yelled as she opened the door and Leon came in with a cart full of trays of food. Leon was still singing and Saria was struggling not to frown, keeping an exaggerated smile and twitching eyes.

"Nice voice moron." Erick said and then Leon frowned.

"Thank you, I love singing." Leon said laughing a little.

"I was being sarcastic. Your voice is terrible." Erick said, rolling his eyes. Everyone seated themselves in a circle around the cart and began to eat immediately.

"Shut up. You're gonna regret saying that." Leon joked and laughed.

"Sure I will." Erick said as he shook his head and looked down. Claude sat next to Ailith and she frowned, obviously becoming uncomfortable. Erick then glared daggers at Claude who laughed silently as he tilted his hat.

"Oh what's this? I'm only trying to be friendly here!" Claude joked putting a hand on Ailith's hips. Erick then shot up and began to bombard Claude with seeds. Where he got those seeds, Leon had no idea. Well, until he looked down and saw that his share of fruits were missing from the plate.

"HEY! What the hell man!? Those were _my_ fruits give them back!" Leon said standing up and then walking towards Erick.

"Hahaha! HOW!?" Erick only laughed and then Leon pondered for a while. Leon then realized that Erick had a point and he hit Erick with a pillow.

"YOU OWE ME." Leon said, and then continued to stuff his mouth angrily.

"I don't owe you anything." Erick said and then shook his head, sitting down. Before they knew it, the day went by as fast as it had started and they were just beyond the shores of the island.


End file.
